In the Mountaineers third game of conference play, App State women’s basketball hosted Marshall University. The teams battled for the second time this season, and App State fell short with a close 53-48 loss. They are now 0-3 in the Sun Belt Conference.

Mirroring their first game of the season against the Thundering Herd, the Mountaineers had control of the first quarter. Sophomore guard Jayden McBride started the Black and Gold off strong with two consecutive 3-pointers. Following 2 layups from sophomore forward Feryal Defne Atli, App State held a 10 point lead with over six minutes left in the quarter. The Mountaineers finished the quarter with a 7-16 lead.

Beginning with a successful layup from freshman forward Addie Biel, App State scored 2 of their 5 total points of the second quarter. McBride followed with a layup and a free throw. While the Mountaineers struggled to replicate their strong first quarter, they held onto their lead. However, Marshall remained close, shortening the lead to 19-21.

In the second tie of the game, the teams were tied 21-all. App State quickly fell behind and was not able to regain their lead for the remainder of the game. The Mountaineers fell to a 7-point, 38-31 differential.

Despite gaining 17 points in the final quarter, with junior guard Daisia Mitchell contributing 7 points alone, the Black and Gold remained behind and ended with a 53-48 loss.

App State will return home to host Coastal Carolina University Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.