App State women’s basketball challenged two in-state foes Sunday and Wednesday, beating North Carolina Central 80-66 and falling 89-44 against UNC-Chapel Hill. 

“I’m really proud of our group. Winning is hard,” head coach Angel Elderkin said. 

After dropping a close contest at Mercer and falling to 1-1 on the season, the Mountaineers took on the North Carolina Central Eagles in Boone.

Four Mountaineers reached double digits in the 14-point win over the Eagles, led by super senior forward Michaela Porter with 21 points and 10 boards. Sophomore guard Faith Alston and junior guard Janay Sanders added 17 points apiece, with Alston also snatching five steals. Freshman Emily Carver finished with 11 points despite a 1-6 shooting night from behind the arc. 

“I told our team we want to shoot the three, and we want to make three’s, but we have to have that free throw,” Elderkin said. “I thought we went to the free throw line, and were more aggressive, so that kind of balances out when the three is not falling.” 

App State traveled to Chapel Hill after the home victory to challenge a North Carolina team beating opponents by an average of 50.5 points per game through its first two matchups. While the Tar Heels didn’t reach that mark, they more than doubled the Mountaineers’ score, trouncing them 89-44. 

The Mountaineers trailed 40-7 at halftime in Carmichael Arena, connecting on just two field goal attempts in the opening 20 minutes. In the second half, the App State offense scored 37 points but was still outscored in every quarter. 

Alston led the way with seven points on 50% shooting as no App State players reached double figures. Senior forward Alexia Allesch scored six points and grabbed eight rebounds in her season debut after missing the Mountaineers’ opening three games. The Seton Hall transfer replaced redshirt sophomore forward A’Lea Gilbert as the fifth starter for the Black and Gold. 

App State returns to action Monday against Winston-Salem State at 6 p.m. in the Holmes Center.