Thursday, February 4
Mountaineers Top Cajuns on Thursday Night
BOONE, N.C. - If Appalachian State University women’s basketball (7-13, 4-7 SBC) wants to start the second half of the Sun Belt schedule off of the right foot, Thursday night was a great start.
Backed by a team-high 23 points from Madi Story (Maiden, N.C./Bandys) and 13 more from KeKe Cooper (Spartanburg, S.C./Dorman), the Mountaineers defeated second-place UL Lafayette (16-5, 9-3 SBC), 76-59, in the Holmes Center.
Story scored her 23 points in various ways with six buckets, a pair of 3-pointers and a career-high nine free throws. She also played facilitator with six boards and a game-high five assists. Bouncing back from a scoreless night on Saturday night at South Alabama, Cooper was one point from tying her season high. The senior shot an efficient 5-for-8 from the field while grabbing six off the glass.
Jasmine Ogunjimi (Chicago, Ill./Hutchinson CC) also got in the on the action with a career-high nine points on 3-for-5 shooting from the floor. Joi Jones (Duluth, Ga./Duluth) also chipped in with nine as well. The duo of Mia Marshall (Lilburn, Ga./Parkview) and Ashley Bassett-Smith (Pickerington, Ohio/UT Martin) came off the bench and put forth valuable minutes, combining for 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting and 10 boards.
Appalachian also did an excellent job sharing the ball assisting on 17 of 25 (68 percent) of its field goals, which is the highest percentage of field goals assisted on this season. The Mountaineers also did a tremendous job at the line, shooting a season-best 22-for-27 (81.5 percent).
The Ragin’ Cajuns jumped out to their largest lead in the first quarter, 8-4, with 3:51 left. Appalachian would hit four of its final seven shots while taking a 13-12 advantage at the end of the opening period. Farrahn Wood (Forsyth Country Day/Kernersville, N.C.) drained a trifecta that started a 9-4 run before Cooper hit a pair of jumpers before the period ended.
The second quarter was dominated by defense as both squads shot under 40 percent. But it was the Mountaineers that was stingy, holding UL-L to 2-for-9 shooting (22.2 percent) and just seven points.
Following a layup from the visitors that cut the App State lead to two, 18-16, the Mountaineers held the Cajuns to a 3:39 scoring drought on five missed buckets. Appalachian sprinted to a six-point lead, 22-16, thanks to a pair of free throws from Cooper. Answered by two points at the charity stripe from UL-L, the Black and Gold endured a 7-1 spurt that gave the hosts a 29-19 lead going into the half. Ogunjimi spearheaded the run with a layup and a trey with 38 seconds left on the final possession of the first half.
Six different players scored for App State while assisting nine of 12 (75 percent) field goals. The 19 points scored by the Cajuns tied the lowest for any half this season.
With 6:50 left in the third period, Carter’s layup gave Appalachian its largest lead at the time at 12, 36-24. However, the Cajuns stormed back while hitting seven consecutive shots that turned into a 13-3 run to cut the App State advantage to two, 39-37, with 4:13 left in the period.
That would be the closest the Cajuns would get the rest of the contest. Started by an old-fashion 3-point play from Kaila Craven (Asheboro, N.C./Southwest Randolph), the Apps hit seven straight foul shots to end the quarter with a 45-39 lead.
It was all App State in the final quarter, scoring an impressive 31 points on 10-for-15 (66.7 percent) shooting from the floor, including 11 points from Story.
A 12-4 push from the Apps while leading 45-41 cushioned the lead to 12, 57-45, with 5:09 left in the game. Appalachian continued to convert at the charity strip, hitting another stretch of seven in a row that played a pivotal part in the run.
The Mountaineers were never threatened for the rest of the contest, eventually running out to a 17-point lead after a Bassett-Smith layup in the final few seconds of the contest, capping off a 7-0 run and a 6-of-8 stretch to end the game.
KeKe Veal lead the visitors with a game-high 27 points on 9-for-18 shooting, but the rest of the Cajuns scored just 32 points on 13-for-36 (36.1 percent) shooting. Appalachian also held the edge in bench points, 18-8, and second chance points, 15-4.
Appalachian will look for its first weekend sweep in conference play on Saturday at 1 p.m. against UL Monroe in the Holmes Center.
Little Rock Erupts for 51 Points in Second Half Against Troy
LITTLE ROCK – A halftime pep talk turned into a second-half blowout for the Little Rock women's basketball team on Thursday night.
Trailing by 12 at the break, Little Rock exploded for its best-ever offensive half under coach Joe Foley in a 79-64 victory against Troy at the Jack Stephens Center.
Little Rock (9-11, 7-4 Sun Belt Conference) put up 51 points in the second half against Troy (10-10, 5-6), tying the team's record for points in a half since Foley took over in 2003. The team last scored 51 points in a half against Oral Roberts on Nov. 21, 2012.
The team got 18 points each from Sharde' Collins and Shanity James, and Alexius Dawn had a double-double with 15 points and a career-high 10 assists. Monique Townson also registered double-figure scoring with 11 points and led all players with five steals. Kaitlyn Pratt led the team with 12 rebounds and just missed a double-double with 9 points.
Most of Little Rock's damage was done in the second half, as it outscored Troy 51-24 in the third and fourth quarter combined. The home team had a 27-10 edge in scoring in the third quarter and a 24-14 edge in the fourth.
The Troy offense, which averaged a league-best 81.5 points per game in Sun Belt play entering Thursday, seemed unable to get points on Little Rock in the second half. Troy managed just 8 of 31 shooting from the field in the second half and missed all eight of its 3-point attempts in the final 20 minutes.
The win was Little Rock's fourth straight win overall, fifth straight at home and eighth straight against Troy in Little Rock.
Little Rock's prospects seemed bleak entering the third quarter, as Troy's offense put up 40 points and Little Rock was in a 12-point hole. But the home team erased that deficit in just five minutes as it got hot from beyond the arc. Collins had the first 5 points of the half on a jumper and a 3-pointer, and that was followed by a Pratt layup, a Townson 3-pointer and a Dawn 3-pointer to bring the Trojans within 3 points. Collins sank another 3-pointer 40 seconds later, and that tied the game at 44-44.
Troy would score the next 6 points to silence the home crowd, but Little Rock blitzed Troy for 11 straight points in the final 2:30 of the quarter. Collins started the 11-0 run with a jumper, Dawn and Townson added two free throws apiece, Pratt hit a jumper herself and then Dawn finished things with a buzzer-beating banked-in 3-pointer to close the quarter with a 55-50 lead.
Troy scored the first 4 points of the fourth quarter to make it 55-54, but Little Rock scored the next 6 and never led by fewer than 5 points again. Troy got within 67-62 with 3:28 to play, but James immediately capitalized with a fast-break layup that broke the Troy full-court press to retake a 7-point lead.
Little Rock scored 10 of the final 12 points. Trailing by as many as 15 in the first half, Little Rock would go on to win by 15.
Besides her 18 points, James had six rebounds, three assists and three blocks on the night to move up to fourth place all-time in Little Rock history in that category. Kira Shepard and Keanna Keys had four points each off the bench, and Little Rock used just 8 players in the game.
After giving up just 9 points to Georgia State in the first half on Saturday, Little Rock allowed Troy to score 40 in the same amount of time on Thursday. The visitors shot 51.7 percent from the field in the period, making 15 of their 29 attempts from the floor including three 3-pointers. Troy also made all seven of its free throws as it built a 40-28 lead at the break.
Little Rock hung with Troy for the first five minutes, as the teams were tied at 12-12 at the first media timeout. But from there, Troy pulled away and led by 7 after the first quarter while the home team's offense cooled.
Little Rock closes its four-game homestand on Saturday when South Alabama comes to the Jack Stephens Center. Game time is set for 4 p.m.
Depth Provides Georgia State Much Needed Win over Texas State
ATLANTA – Finally with a full roster for the first time in weeks, Georgia State utilized that depth to run to a 73-62 win over Texas State in Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball.
Adding three starters among the four total players able to return to action, Georgia State had 10 players score as the Panthers overcame a five-point halftime deficit to outscore Texas State 44-28 in the second half. Much of that depth was on the defensive end, mostly switching from zone to man with fresh people.
The game was tied for the seventh and final time at 58 with 7:49 to play when GSU had the depth to go on a 13-2 run and make it 71-60 with only two minutes to play.
GSU’s depth helped them produce a 53-32 rebound advantage and up the defensive tempo in the fourth quarter to hold Texas State to 2-of-18 shooting.
Georgia State (9-11, 4-7) was led by freshman point guard Madison Newby with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists. Leading scorer Makeba Ponder, who had missed six of the last 10 games and four straight, came back with 12 points and six rebounds. Forward Haley Gerrin provided post support with nine rebounds and eight points in 21 minutes, while forward Alaysia Mitchell also had nine points and six boards. After missing 11 games, starter Tatianna Jackson came off the bench to add seven points and six rebounds in 20 minutes.
Texas State (10-10, 5-5) is the league’s top 3-point shooting team and the Bobcats made 9 this evening, but were 0-for-6 outside the arc in the crucial fourth quarter. Raven Burns led Texas State with 18 points with 5-of-8 3-point shooting.
Georgia State’s inside control included 34 points scored in the paint and 20 second-chance points.
“We did a better job of boxing out and closing out the defensive possession tonight,” coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener. “Switching from the zone to the man kept a little more pressure on them, too. It was so good to look down and see we had multiple players to sub in when we needed them. We had a lot of players contribute tonight. This was just the start of the final 10 games in the Sun Belt and to build some confidence and momentum will be important.”
GSU plays Saturday afternoon against UT Arlington at noon in the annual Alumni Letterman’s Day.
Overtime Surge Sends Mavericks Past Eagles
STATESBORO, Ga. – UT Arlington outscored Georgia Southern 12-0 in overtime to down the Eagles 53-41 at Hanner Fieldhouse on Thursday night.
The Lady Mavericks (9-11, 4-6 Sun Belt) ended a streak of eight consecutive overtime losses dating back to 2010 and improved to 4-0 all-time against Georgia Southern. Rebekah VanDijk earned her fourth consecutive double-double, eighth overall, to lead three UTA scorers in double figures. VanDijk had 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Lauren Billie matched a career high with 11 points, all during a five-minute outburst in the second half. Cierra Johnson finished with 10 points.
Despite frequent scoring droughts in the first half, Georgia Southern's ability to knock down the 3-pointer helped it to a lead at the break. The Eagles hit on 5 of their first 6 attempts to hold an early 15-6 advantage just four minutes into the game.
LaShanda Green provided UTA its lone 3-pointer of the opening half as she connected late in the first. Her trey ended what was a scoreless streak of more than five minutes. Georgia Southern was unable to expand its lead, struggling to score on a five-minute run of its own. The Lady Mavs continued to be cold in the second quarter, going 0-of-8 from beyond the arc, while GS hit on two its three attempts.
Offensive struggles continued well into the second half for both teams. The Eagles went scoreless for another five-minute run midway through the third, but UTA wasn't able to take advantage. The Lady Mavs, trailing by just three during the stretch, went 0-7 from the field and turned the ball over five times.
It was Billie that provided the offense to lift UTA. Billie connected on a 3-pointer with seven seconds left in the third and gave the Lady Mavs their first lead since eight seconds in the game with another to start the fourth. Billie's 11-point run gave UTA a four-point lead.
As the Lady Mavs seemed to control the final minutes, it was the Eagles that finished regulation strong. The Eagles converted on a trey with 27.0 left in the game to tie the contest. Green had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but her attempt bounced off the front of the rim.
Turning point
Missing on the opportunity to win in regulation, UTA didn't let the comeback from Georgia Southern put them down. After VanDijk won the opening tip, Johnson knocked down the first of two 3-pointers by the Lady Mavs in the extra period. The sophomore continued with four free throws to help UTA to a 12-0 advantage in overtime.
Key Stats
UTA turned the ball over 23 times, its second most in a win this season. … UTA was just 32.7 percent shooting in the game after hitting at 60.0 percent in its last time out (a high under Krista Gerlich). … Helped along by Billie, UTA outscored GS 18-9 in points off the bench.
Red Wolves Win 11th-Consecutive with Win over South Alabama
JONESBORO, Ark. (2/4/16) – Aundrea Gamble paced three Arkansas State women’s basketball players in double-figures as the Red Wolves defeated South Alabama 58-51 for 21st consecutive home victory Thursday evening at the Convocation Center.
Gamble scored a game-high 20 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, as A-State (16-3, 11-0 SBC) battled a poor shooting night from the field and held off several Jaguars’ runs throughout the second half to remain unbeaten in conference play.
“We are happy to get another win and just keep moving forward,” A-State head coach Brian Boyer said. “A lot of credit goes to South Alabama and they did a really good job of doing what they do and took advantage of their size. Fortunately we had the great start and were able to build a lead and I’m proud of this team for not letting that get away. We always seemed to get that one stop or one score when we needed to keep us out in front.”
Up 49-45 with 5:39 to go in the game, Gamble drained a 3-ponter to end a four-plus minute scoring drought for the Red Wolves. On the ensuing South Alabama offensive possession, Gamble grabbed the defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast for layup and also drew a foul to convert a 3-point play and give the Red Wolves a 55-45 lead.
The Jaguars (9-11, 5-6) cut the lead to 55-51 with after a made free throw by Chyna Ellis with 1:32 to go, but Gamble drew a foul on the offensive and made 1-of-2 free throws to give her squad a five point advantage.
South Alabama turned the ball over on its next trip down the floor and Brittany Fowler drained both free throw attempts to give A-State a 58-51 cushion with 14 seconds to go. Gamble got a steal with eight seconds to go and dribbled out the clock to give A-State its longest winning at 11 games since 2004-05.
“We needed some big scores late and fortunately Drea took over and that three she made was huge,” Boyer said. “The three point play was just a typical Gamble play where she just took over.”
A-State built a nine point lead in the opening quarter thanks to a 10-0 midway through that pushed the lead to 16-0. Gamble helped continue the run with a brilliant move in the paint to get an open layup and then collected a steal on the defensive end and tossed it ahead to Amanda Lawson for an easy layup.
Lawson finished the game with 10 points.
The Red Wolves went 9-of-19 from the field in the quarter, including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Khadija Brown-Haywood knocked down three, treys and nine of her 12 points in the quarter. She also finished the night with 11 rebounds for eighth double-double of the season.
The second quarter was a much different story for Arkansas State shooting wise as the team went just 3-of-19 from the field and ended the quarter on the six minute scoring drought as the Jaguars pulled within 31-24.
The third quarter was much of the same for the Red Wolves as they made just 4-of-14 shots, but South Alabama found it equally as tough to score and went just 3-of-13 from the field.
Despite A-State’s troubles on the defensive end, it never lost its edge defensively and forced the Jaguars into 24 turnovers.
Arkansas State returns to action Saturday, Feb. 6, with a 3:00 p.m. home game against Troy.