App State women’s basketball dropped a close home game to Marshall Thursday afternoon 87-78, snapping the Black and Gold’s three-game win streak.

It was the Mountaineers’ annual education day, where 1,179 students from the surrounding area came to watch a game inside the Holmes Convocation Center.

Sophomore guard Alexis Black led the way with a career-high 24 points along with two assists and three steals. Junior guard Emily Carver finished with 19 points, while senior guard Faith Alston had 13 points and eight assists. Sophomore forward Rylan Moffit hauled in 14 rebounds, marking the 16th time she’s led the team in rebounding.

Turnovers plagued the Mountaineers, as their 26 turnovers led to 29 points off turnovers for the Thundering Herd. 

App State led for much of the first quarter, thanks to a barrage of five three-pointers in a four-minute span to take a 20-10 lead. Marshall bounced back and took a 22-20 lead at the end of the quarter.

The second quarter was much of the same with the two teams battling back and forth. The Thundering Herd went on an 8-0 run before the Mountaineers countered with their own 9-1 run to head into halftime tied at 40. 

In the third quarter, both teams struggled to gain separation from each other as they each had 19 points in the period. App State built a six-point lead, before Marshall hit a late three pointer to tie the game at 59 heading into the final frame.

The fourth quarter saw the Thundering Herd pull away from the Mountaineers after outscoring the Black and Gold 28-19. Black and Carver combined for all of App State’s points during the quarter. Despite a late rally, Marshall closed out the game with a 87-78 win.

The Mountaineers shot 43.5% from the field and 41% from three and outrebounded the Thundering Herd 43-35. 

Next up for the Black and Gold is a matchup against Georgia State in Boone at 2 p.m. Saturday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.