WBB: Mountaineers Clinch 63-60 Victory Over Coastal Carolina

Husky Sports Schedule for Week of 1-13-25
January 12, 2025
MBB: App State Closes Homestand with Second Straight 20-Point Win
January 12, 2025
Husky Sports Schedule for Week of 1-13-25
January 12, 2025
MBB: App State Closes Homestand with Second Straight 20-Point Win
January 12, 2025
WBB: Mountaineers Clinch 63-60 Victory Over Coastal Carolina

 

Jan. 11, 2025

 

Contact: Katherine Jamtgaard (ja*********@ap******.edu)

 

Online: https://appstatesports.com/news/2025/1/11/womens-basketball-mountaineers-clinch-63-60-victory-over-coastal-carolina.aspx

 

Box Score: Attached

 

BOONE, N.C. – The App State women’s basketball team clinched a tight 63-60 victory over Coastal Carolina on Saturday. App State (8-7, 4-1 SBC) handed the Chanticleers (12-3, 3-2 SBC) their third loss of the season and second in conference play. Additionally, the Mountaineers have won their last three games against the Chants and lead the series, 16-7. 
 
“I’m really proud of the stick with it attitude with our players to finish that game,” said head coach Alaura Sharp. “It was a little bit dicey there. Kevin Pederson does a really good job with Coastal Carolina. They play a really difficult style to allow you to run anything at all.”
 
“I just wanted to give a lot of credit to senior Eleyana Tafisi. To get open, bring it up the floor, it was taking us a long time to get into our offense, the composure and the grit and the toughness for her to handle all of that, I’m proud of that.” Sharp said. “It wasn’t the prettiest win, but I think that this game is going to grow us up and mature us, because we haven’t had to win and use our end of game situation and understand what that looks like for our team. I think that we showed some good maturity. Our team is old. I give a lot of credit to Eleyana, I thought she was leading, talking and they led each other. I was really tough on them after the game on Thursday, with that exact thing, and we won today because of the leadership of our group.”  
 
Senior Rylan Moffitt dropped a season and team high 15 points against the Chanticleers, shooting a perfect 7-of-7 from the field and 1-of-1 from the arc. She was one point off of her career high 16 points, which she set on Jan. 27, 2024 at James Madison. Fellow junior Elena Pericic netted 12 points and led the Mountaineers in the rebounds category for a fourth game this season, grabbing seven on the afternoon. Additionally, Pericic combined with senior Mara Neira for six of App State’s 10 treys, each contributing three. Neira, who made all nine of her points from the arc, made five of App State’s nine steals. Junior Emily Hege grabbed six rebounds while Tafisi dished out a team high five assists.
 
For a fifth game this season, the Mountaineers knocked down 10 or more treys. It was also the third game that the Black and Gold recorded a season high four blocked shots. The Mountaineers dished out 20 assists, which was four short of their season high that was set on Nov. 20 against Clinton College. App State netted 29 points off the bench compared to Coastal Carolina’s 12 points. The Chants, who had received votes in this week’s CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, were held to seven second chance points, nine assists, and a 3-point percentage of 28.0%. The Mountaineers and Chanticleers knotted the score on six occasions and swapped the lead thrice.
 
App State shot 55.56% from the arc in the first quarter and netted nothing but 3-point buckets over the first 4:31 of the game. Hege, Pericic, and Tafisi each contributed 3-point buckets early in the period. The Chanticleers broke a 9-9 tie with the first tip-in of the game, but senior J’Mani Ingram knotted the score for a fourth time in the quarter with a layup of her own. As the Chants edged ahead, 13-11, Neira drained a trey to push App State ahead, 14-13. Neira’s trey marked the start of an 8-0 run that included a pair of freebies from senior Zada Porter and a second trey from Pericic. The Mountaineers led 19-15 at the end of the first quarter and had drained five of their 10 treys over the course of the period.
 
Early in the second quarter, CCU managed to edge ahead, 21-19, as the Mountaineers faced a scoring drought over 3:27. With an assist from senior Asjah Inniss, Moffitt made a layup in the paint to tie things up at 21 all. App State took the lead with a 3-point bucket from Inniss, assisted by Tafisi. Moffitt made a layup and knocked down a trey to extend App State’s lead to 29-23. Moffitt made a tip-in bucket and a jumper while Neira drained a pair of treys to put the Mountaineers ahead, 39-29 at the close of the half. Moffitt and Neira combined for 17 of App State’s 20 points in the quarter.
 
App State outscored Coastal Carolina in both the first and second quarters and netted nine of their 10 treys during the first half.
 
As the Mountaineers faced a scoring drought early in the third quarter, Coastal Carolina chipped away at the deficit, coming within five (42-37). Pericic drained the Mountaineers’ sole trey of the quarter and Tafisi drained a free throw to keep the Black and Gold ahead, 46-37. Porter, who combined with Pericic for eight of App State’s 11 points in the quarter, made a layup in the paint to extend App State’s lead to 48-39. With 0:15 left in the period, Hege got around the defense for a layup in the paint, assisted by Pericic, to put App State up, 50-42.
 
Moffitt and Carver went to work early in the fourth quarter, getting to the hoop for a trio of layups over 0:54. Hege also contributed a layup to extend App State’s lead to 58-46. As the Mountaineers faced a scoring drought over 3:24, Coastal Carolina cut the deficit to five (58-53). A tip-in bucket from Carver and a layup from Porter kept the Black and Gold ahead, 62-56. Coastal Carolina found a spark as Mallory Bruce drained a pair of freebies and Jaylen Ponder made a layup to cut App State’s lead to 62-60 with 0:25 left in regulation. Both teams were sent to the charity stripe, coming up unsuccessful, until Pericic drew a key foul from Bruce with 0:06 left to play. Pericic sank a freebie as the Mountaineers clinched the win, 63-60.   
 
Up Next
The Mountaineers will head to Norfolk, Va. to take on Old Dominion at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 15. App State will then challenge Marshall in Huntington, WVa. at 1 p.m. on Jan. 18.

 

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