App State women’s basketball defeated the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns 61-52 on Thursday.
This win marks the fourth win in a row for the team, three of which have come at home while propelling the Mountaineers to 8-2 in conference play and 12-8 overall. This game also marks the 10th win in 12 games for the Black and Gold, putting them in third place in the Sun Belt
The Mountaineers got the job done on the defensive side of the ball, holding Louisiana to just 35% shooting from the field and 21% from three for the whole game. Head coach Alaura Sharp praised the Black and Gold’s efforts on defense after the game.
“We worked really hard on our defense,” said Sharp said. “”I thought we played some good basketball tonight. We have really struggled guarding and defending the basketball. I thought outside of those little fouls down the stretch we got a little undisciplined, but I thought our kids really executed.””
Four players from the Black and Gold scored in double figures. Senior guards Emily Carver, Zada Porter, Eleyana Tafisi and junior forward Elena Pericic were electric from the perimeter.
Carver got hot early with 2 quick threes in the first quarter, while Porter did most of her work on the fast break, getting in the passing lanes on defense and distributing the rock with 4 assists on the night. Tafisi had a season-high 13 points, all of which came in the first half, to go along with 4 assists and 5 steals.
“It’s been amazing playing with them, especially Eleyana. She’s really pushing the pace all the time and you never know when the ball can come to you,” Pericic said. “You always have to be ready to catch the ball because they all have such high IQs.”
Pericic had 13 points on 5-10 shooting from the floor and 3-6 from three, showing her ability to work both inside and outside on the court.
“It’s fantastic and amazing, you throw her the ball and start running back,” Porter and Tafisi both emphasized Pericic’s ability to space the floor. “When you’re in the Sun Belt and small like us and coming off ball screens and seeing a 6’2” center waiting to block your shot, it’s awesome to have someone like Elena who gets people open by just being on the court.”
The bench also came to play for App State as junior forward Rylan Moffitt and senior guard Mara Neira each played pivotal roles during the game. Moffitt finished with 5 points and 7 rebounds in just 15 minutes of action, while Neira had 2 huge steals midway through the fourth quarter to go with her 4 points on the night.
“One of the hardest things for me is deciding who to play. There’s so many players on the bench that deserve minutes and come in here and bust it every day,” Sharp said. “We really lean into the analytics to make decisions because I want to play all of them all the time because of their work ethic and character.”
