App State women’s basketball welcomed the College of Charleston to Boone Tuesday evening, defeating the Cougars 77-73 in a game they never trailed.
“Coming into the game, College of Charleston was fifth in the country in pace and they had some dynamic guard play, so I was really concerned about our ability to defend them,” said head coach Angel Elderkin. “I think it’s a great win and be able to take those concerns to practice tomorrow.”
It was a career day for two Mountaineers as junior guard Emily Carver and sophomore forward Rylan Moffitt set personal highs in points and rebounds respectively. Carver finished with 28 points on 8/14 shooting after a dominant third quarter. Moffitt hauled in a career-best 17 rebounds.
The Mountaineers started out hot with a 9-2 run in the opening two and half minutes as four different starters scored. The Black and Gold dominated the rest of the first quarter as they outscored the Cougars 18-12. Senior guard Faith Alston and freshman guard MaKenzie Drout combined for 11 of the teams 27 points.
The second quarter saw the Mountaineers go on a massive scoring drought as Charleston capitalized. The Cougars went on a 15-3 run to end the quarter. App State did not hit a field goal the last 8:31 of the second quarter. Going into halftime, the Black and Gold led 38-32.
As a team, they shot 34% from the field and 30% from three. The Mountaineers outrebounded the Cougars 26-21, which led to six second-chance points. Alston led the team with 13 first-half points and two assists. Moffitt posted five points and 11 rebounds.
After halftime, App State got out of their shooting slump and started knocking down shots. Carver caught fire, scoring 21 points on 6/7 shooting from the field and knocked down seven free throws.
“I’m really proud, Emily Carver’s performance in the third quarter,” Elderkin said. “That’s a will to win.”
The Mountaineers forced nine turnovers leading to 14 points off turnovers. Heading into the final stretch, the Black and Gold held a 67-51 advantage.
After going up 75-65, the Cougars began their comeback effort. Mountaineer turnovers and missed shots contributed towards Charleston’s late game push. With 49 seconds left, App State’s lead was cut to three after a made layup.
Despite the late rally, a Carver free throw put the game out of reach as the Black and Gold held on for the victory. Alston finished with 20 points and four assists.
“Today was just another really good team win for us,” Elderkin said. “This group is still learning how to win, how to close games.”
App State improves to 5-2 on the season with a matchup against Richmond in Virginia Dec. 10. The game is set for 2 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
