App State women’s basketball successfully defended home court Saturday against Georgia Southern. The Mountaineers won an eventful rivalry game 60-56.
The Mountaineers had issues with ball control in the first quarter, turning the ball over 9 times. Despite the mistakes, the teams were tied at 10 at the end of the quarter as the Eagles were limited to shooting 20% from the floor.
Junior guard Emily Hege opened the scoring for the Mountaineers with a corner three, scoring 6 of App State’s 10 points in the first quarter.
Junior forward Rylan Moffitt scored the other 4 points for App State, including a layup on a good pass from senior guard Eleyana Tafisi.
Senior guard Zada Porter connected on a mid-range jumper to begin the second quarter, followed up by junior forward Elena Pericic draining a corner three. Tafisi forced a Georgia Southern timeout after hitting a three-pointer of her own.
App State went on a 10-0 run to start the second quarter and led 20-10 midway through the quarter. The defense clamped down on Georgia Southern, forcing 7 turnovers and limiting the Eagles to 10 points.
After the Eagles cut the deficit in half, App State regained their 10-point advantage courtesy of baskets from Moffitt, Hege, Porter and senior guard Asjah Inniss. The Mountaineers ended the first half with an 8-point lead.
Out of halftime, what was a defensive battle became an offensive showcase in the third quarter as both teams found their shooting form. Porter continued her excellent game by hitting another mid-range jump shot.
App State went right at the heart of Georgia Southern’s defense, attacking the paint and getting several easy layups to grow their advantage over the Eagles.
Back-to-back threes from Hege and senior guard Emily Carver extended the lead to 13 and caused Georgia Southern to call a timeout in an effort to slow down the Mountaineers’ momentum.
It was a shooting masterclass from App State in the third quarter with the team going 5 for 7 from beyond the arc. The quarter concluded with the Mountaineers up 11.
App State started the fourth quarter by going scoreless for the first two and a half minutes, allowing the Eagles to come within 6. A tough reverse layup under the basket from Hege put an end to the drought. Hege led the team in scoring, finishing with 14 points.
After a layup from Moffitt to give the Mountaineers an 8-point lead, neither team would score for the next three minutes as both sides went cold from the floor.
Georgia Southern got within 5 points with a minute left, but a steal from Tafisi and subsequent free throws made it a three-possession game. Despite the Eagles continuing to fight and make baskets in the closing seconds, the Mountaineers made clutch free throws down the stretch to keep their lead and walked out of the Holmes Convocation Center as winners.
App State had four players — Hege, Porter, Moffitt and Pericic — record double-digit point totals. It was their shooting and rebounding that allowed the Mountaineers to keep ahead of Georgia Southern in spite of the team committing 26 turnovers.
App State has won three straight games to improve to 7-2 in conference play. The Mountaineers face off against Louisiana at home Thursday at 6:30 p.m., and the game will stream live on ESPN+.
