Women's Basketball Sun Belt Conference

App State Moves Past ULM, 70-60

PENSACOLA, Fla. - App State cruised to a 70-60 victory over ULM to open the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Championships at the Pensacola Bay Center. The Mountaineers opened the game with a 10-0 run and didn't look back, improving their program record to 10-0 against the Warhawks. 

The closest ULM got was four points, 15-11, with 2:48 left in the first quarter. App State took its first 20-point lead, 40-20, on a Tierra Wilson 3-pointer with 1:15 to play in the opening half. Faith Alston hit a 3 with 4:23 remaining in the game to give App State's largest lead was 24 points.

Eight App State players found the scoring column, led by 14 points from each Lainey Gosnell and Michaela Porter. Porter hit a career-best four 3-pointers. Alston added a career-high 13 points and seven assists off the bench, while Wilson came off the bench for 11 points. Gosnell was the Mountaineers' leading rebounder with nine. App State protected the basketball with an assist-turnover ratio of 2.25. They scored 19 points off of 10 ULM turnovers and reserve players produced a season-best 27 points. 

ULM scored more than two-thirds of its points (44) in the paint, as senior center Diamond Brooks turned in a career-high 18 points on 80% shooting. Kierra Brimzy produced her fifth 20-point game to lead the Warhawks with a tournament-leading 22 points. ULM was held scoreless from 3-point range.

App State (14-11) advances to the Sun Belt quarterfinals to meet UTA on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at Pensacola State College's Hartsell Arena. Playing in its first Sun Belt Championship since 2018, ULM concludes its season at 3-20.