The Mountaineers women’s basketball team secured a big win against Gardner-Webb Wednesday, defending their home turf with a final score of 82-64.
Despite the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ early lead, App State was relentless and finished in dominant fashion.
Gardner-Webb started hot and jumped to a quick lead early in the first quarter. Despite the Mountaineers getting the first points on the board, coming from a jumper made by senior guard Zada Porter, Gardner-Webb soon had a 7-point run in which they took a 5-point lead. They continued to build on this and before long, the Black and Gold were down by nine following a Bulldog layup. When the quarter ended, the score rested at Gardner-Webb 17 to App State’s 10.
The momentum shifted as less than a minute and a half into the second quarter, the Mountaineers cut the deficit to three. The Bulldogs weren’t going to give up their lead without a fight and clawed their way back to an 8-point lead before App State went on a 10-point run, giving them the lead. This run was highlighted by threes from senior guards Emily Carver and Eleyana Tafisi as well as 2 free throws by Porter.
The two squads would continue to battle it out until the whistles were blown for halftime where the score stood 35-35.
App State began to pull away in the second half almost immediately as they went on a 14-point run. This run was headlined by Carver, who put up 10 within three and a half minutes.
Like an itch that wouldn’t go away, the Bulldogs managed to claw their way back to within 10 points, but that would be the closest they got for the remainder of the game as App State continued to give it their all.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers held a formidable 14-point lead and only continued to pour it on as the game continued.
Senior guard Mara Neira started out the scoring for the Black and Gold in the fourth quarter with a jumper which extended their lead to 16. It was all gas and no brakes for the Mountaineers as they kept scoring, at one point taking a 23-point lead following a three-pointer by junior guard Seneya Martinez.
When the clock hit all zeroes, the final score was 82-64 resulting in a big win for App State. Notable performances on the night were Carver with a team-high 27 points, junior forward Rylan Moffitt with 9 rebounds and Porter with 3 rebounds. Porter also had 8 assists and a block on the night.
