Women's Basketball Sun Belt Conference

App State Moves On to SBC Semifinals

PENSACOLA, Fla. - While App State was held well below its season scoring averages, the Mountaineers cashed in from the foul line with regularity to advance in the Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Championships with a 54-46 win over UTA.  

App State (15-11) made 22-of-28 charity tosses in the game, and kept UTA (13-8) nearly 16 points below its season average.

“It was a ‘pound the stone’ win for us,” said App State head coach Angel Elderkin. “We’re a 3-point shooting team. We were only able to make two, and so we found different ways to get it done today, and that’s what really makes this group special.”

The teams each made two free throws in the opening minute of the game, and the game remained close throughout the first frame. App State took its first lead of the day on a 3-pointer from Pre Stanley moments later, and the Mountaineers did not trail again in the quarter. App State led by as many as five, and after 10 minutes of play, App State led 15-14.

In the second and third quarters, the defense reigned supreme. The teams combined to allow only 11-for-55 (20%) shooting in the two periods, with UTA holding App State to one made field goal in the second, and the Mountaineers allowing only two made field goals for the Mavericks in the third. The defenses forced a combined 25 turnovers in the 20-minute span around the halftime break.

With UTA holding a 25-19 lead, App State opened the second half on an 8-0 run. The Mountaineers out-scored the Mavericks 12-5 in the quarter to take the lead, 31-30, headed into the final quarter.

The Mountaineers controlled the play for much of the final period. App State scored 13 of the first 18 points of the frame, building a 44-35 lead with 2:26 remaining. UTA held App State without a field goal in the final two minutes of play but was unable to draw the game even. 

Stanley finished with a game-high 24 points - including an 11-for-12 effort from the foul line. Janay Sanders also reached double-figures for the Mountaineers with 10 points. For the Mavericks, Terryn Milton led the way with 13 points, and Shyia Smith added 10.

App State advances to face the SBC East Division’s top-seed, the Troy Trojans (20-5), in the first semifinal on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT. The Trojans won three of the four meetings between the two teams this season. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.