By David Rogers. LOS ANGELES, Calif. (remote) — In a field of 18 elite performers, Blowing Rock-based ZAP Endurance team member Amanda Vestri finished No. 5 on May 24, in Sound Running’s Track Fest hosted by Occidental College at Jack Kemp Stadium. Her time was a new ZAP Endurance club record among distaff team members.
Most of the runners had affiliations with the various athletic shoe and apparel companies, most notably Puma, New Balance, Saucony, HOKA and Under Armour. The Women’s 5000 event title was captured by Linden Hall (14:43.61, Puma), followed by No. 2 Melissa Courtney Bryant (14:48.20, New Balance), No. 3 Hannah Nuttall (14:50.42, New Balance), No. 4 Lea Meyer (14:58.85, New Balance), No. 5 Amanda Vestri (15:01.22)
“For Amanda, this was a great performance in establish a new personal record as well as the ZAP club record for the 5000-meter distance,” said Pete Rea, ZAP Endurance head coach. “It really demonstrates how effective her strength training has been in running longer distances like the half marathon for which she qualified for the U.S. world team earlier this year and sets her up for the U.S. championships in Eugene, Ore., in July. She will make her marathon debut in the fall.”
Saturday’s performance at the 5000-meters’ distance is Vestri’s second personal best established in 2025. In making the U.S. team for the World half marathon championships, Vestri ran a 1:07:35 in Houston on Jan. 19. Vestri qualified for July’s championships in Eugene at 10,000 meters with her 31:10.53 performance in London, England, on May 18, 2024.
Van Der Els sparkles in Men’s 5000
Just five seconds separated Blowing Rock’s Eric Van Der Els from first place in the Men’s 5000 Run at Track Fest, finishing No. 2 in 13:27.33. The ZAP Endurance runner finished just behind No. 1 Brian Barraza, of the Roots Running Project (13:22.09). No. 3 Jean-Simon Desgagnes, representing New Balance, crossed the line a little more than eight seconds behind Van Der Els, in 13:35.48.
Blowing Rock’s Dan Schaffer, also a member of the ZAP Endurance professional running team, was No. 7 in the 26-man elite field, crossing the line with a pack and less than a second behind No. 4, with a time of 13:36.37.
“Coming off surgery in December, this was a really good race and performance for Eric,” said Rea, the ZAP Endurance coach. “When you consider that his personal best of 13:21.78, just six seconds faster than today’s race, you have to be impressed. He is on track to meet the U.S. championships qualifying standard of 13:20 in the next few weeks.”
CONCORD, N.C. — More than 30 Watauga middle school athletes competed at the North Carolina Middle School State Meet on May 3. High Country Sports photographer Jared Everett was there to capture some of the action.
All photos by Jared Everett for High Country Sports
By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — Everett Gryder and Evan Burroughs combined for a 3-hit shutout, Watauga prevailing over Ashe County on April 1, 2-0.
Kye Pennington, the Huskies’ senior lefthander, nearly matched the Watauga pitching effort in giving up two runs on four hits in six innings of work.
Ultimately, though, Burroughs’ speed around the base paths proved golden, with two stolen bases and two runs scored. What broke things open for the Pioneers in the top half of the third inning was a triple by Jake Blanton, which scored Burroughs. After stealing both second base and third base in the top of the 5th inning, Burroughs again scored on defensive lapses by the Huskies.
Now 7-7 overall and 3-2 in Northwestern Conference play, the Pioneers next host South Caldwell on Friday, April 4.
KEY PERFORMERS
WAT – Everett Gryder: 5 innings pitched, no runs on 2 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
WAT – Evan Burroughs: 2 innings pitched, no runs on 1 hit, no walks, 4 strikeouts. As batter, 0-3, 2 runs scored, 2 stolen bases, 1 walk, 1 fielder’s choice
WAT – Jake Blanton: 1-2, 1 RBI, triple, 1 hit by pitch
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was “only” a spring non-conference volleyball exhibition with no one keeping track of game stats except the score, but the match between host App State and visiting North Carolina provided plenty of action — and loads of quality photographic moments.
The tight set scores reflect how entertaining this match was at the Holmes Convocation Center.
SET SCORES
Set 1: UNC 26, App 24
Set 2: UNC 25, App 18
Set 3: App 25, UNC 20
Set 4: App 25, UNC 23
Set 5: UNC 15, App 12
All photographic images by David Rogers for High Country Sports.
By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — Clamp-down defense and hot-hot-hot shooting are a good recipe for winning basketball games. That’s exactly what Watauga cooked up for South Caldwell in the finals of the Northwestern Conference Women’s Basketball Championships hosted by Ashe County on Feb. 21, running away from the Spartans, 72-48 to claim both the regular season and conference tournament titles in 2025.
BONUS PHOTOS at bottom of article
With a packed-to-the-rafters gym buzzing with anticipation because of what happened the last time these two teams met — a 93-91, double overtime upset win by the Spartans on Watauga’s home court on Jan. 31 — a number of questions were left to be answered about how good this Pioneers team really is. One answer is certain: pretty darn good.
January’s state ‘Player of the Month’ in North Carolina, Kate Sears, got nary a point from beyond the 3-point arc but was a force in the paint. She notched a game-high 31 points against South Caldwell in the Northwestern Conference tournament final. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Besides generating offensive production — putting points on the board — the Pioneers had to find a way to put the brakes on South Caldwell’s dynamic freshman tandem of Ava Anderson and Maggie Wilks, who each tallied 30+ in the Jan. 31 double overtime affair. Head coach Bill Torgerson acknowledged that after the game.
“We chose to match up Anderson with Kate Sears, hoping to frustrate her a bit,” said Torgerson.
Watauga’s Kaitlyn Darner (30) played her final Northwestern Conference tournament game with a highlight reel performance, including 10 points and, defensively, helping limit South Caldwell’s dynamic duo of freshman guards. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
The strategy worked, with the Spartans’ freshman point guard netting only 19 points on the night, well below her season average of close to 25 points per game. South Caldwell was able to shift some of its attack inside, where senior forward Kristin Barber recorded a team-high 20 points, but where Watauga arguably won the night was in defusing Wilks, who posted zero points, no assists, no steals and only two rebounds.
Meanwhile, Watauga was edging ahead even though also seeming to battle the game officials, too. There were controversial calls aplenty, against both sides, but when one of the teams (Watauga) consistently drives the lane or baseline and attacks the basket, fouls by the other side often occur. In this contest, the imbalance in personal fouls went the other way. Watauga was flagged 18 times, South Caldwell picked up only nine fouls.
Blair Haines (21) played a critical role in Watauga’s 72-48 win over South Caldwell on Feb. 21, to claim the tournament title for 2025. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Two Pioneers, seniors Julie Matheson and Chloe Wilson, got into early foul trouble, finishing with four fouls each. Sears racked up three fouls. At one point, the second time a controversial call went against January’s “North Carolina Player of the Month,” one bystander said, “If they are not careful, they are going to make Kate mad and she will take over and score 50!”
By game’s end, Sears was more than halfway there, pouring in a game-high 31 points to go with 10 assists and six rebounds. Almost all of her points came from driving the lane or in-close shooting since she drew blanks from beyond the 3-point arc (0-for-6) and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
Blair Haines, Watauga’s sophomore guard, might want to send flowers to the left corner of the court, behind the arc. The spot was in love with Haines, allowing her to hit four critical 3-pointers that all but vanquished any Spartan hopes of a comeback.
Kate Sears was all smiles after her Watauga Pioneers won the Northwestern Conference Championship Tournament final, 72-48, vs. South Caldwell and she picked up tourney MVP honors, too. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Now sporting a 19-5 overall record, 10-1 in the Northwestern Conference and brandishing both regular season and conference tournament titles, the Pioneers await the seedings and first round pairings of the NCHSAA 4A Women’s State Championship playoffs. The first round is slated for Tuesday, Feb. 25, with the matchups to be announced Sunday evening (Feb. 23).
Key Team Stats
FG% – WAT 58.8% (30-51), SC 29.5% (13-44)
3FG% – WAT 31.8% (7-22), SC 23.5% (4-17)
FT% – WAT 83.3% (5-6), SC 78.3% (18-23)
Points in the Paint – WAT 40, SC 16
Points off Turnovers – WAT 9, SC 4
2nd Chance Points – WAT 2, SC 6
Fast Break Points – WAT 4, SC 0
Points from Bench – WAT 2, SC 0
Key Performers
WAT – Kate Sears: 31 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal
WAT – Blair Haines: 14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It wasn’t the prettiest basketball performance, but a meaningful win nonetheless.
Still clinging to a 5-way tie for second place in the Sun Belt Conference standings with hopes for a bye into the conference tournament quarterfinals or semifinals, App State men’s basketball won with a buzzer-beater against Southern Miss on Feb. 5, 60-58, in front of paid attendance of 2,236.
CJ Huntley lofts a shot at the basket Feb. 5 vs. Southern Miss. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
After guard Dior Connors buried a 3-pointer from the corner with 38 seconds remaining in the game to tie it at 58-58, all mayhem broke out at the Southern Miss end as the Eagles tried to get the last winning shot. A missed jumper by Eagle guard Andre Curbelo at the 13-second mark caromed off the rim and teammate Christian Watson tried to tip it in, but the put back missed and was collected by App State forward Jalil Beaubrun.
App State immediately called time out.
“It wasn’t me that called the timeout,” said head coach Dustin Kerns. “It was the players… It was a really good job by our players to call that timeout.”
As things turned out, it was the headiest of calls, stopping the clock and saving time.
App State head coach Dustin Kerns gives instructions late in the Feb. 5 game vs. Southern Miss. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
For the second time in the 2024-2025 season, with seven seconds on the clock App State head coach Dustin Kerns designed a play for senior guard Myles Tate to take the last (and possible winning) shot — and for the second time Tate called a winning audible. With the clock winding down toward zero, he spotted graduate forward CJ Huntley in the lane and whistled the ball to him for a resounding dunk and the winning points. After a review by the game officials, it was confirmed that Huntley did in fact beat the buzzer — with 0.2 seconds left on the clock. For Southern Miss, it was just enough time to inbound the ball before “game over.”
After the game, Kerns was the first to remind reporters of a similar buzzer-beater in late November when, on a similar play designed for Tate to take the last shot, the redshirt senior instead found Dior Connors with an open look for the game-winner against William & Mary.
“I give assistant coach Tanner Smith credit for that last play tonight,” said Kerns, “getting Myles (Tate) on the run. They (Southern Miss) really triple-teamed him, which allowed CJ (Huntley) to leak out to the basket. I credit Myles for making the right play.
The App State dance team and cheerleaders had a lot to cheer about on Feb. 5 vs. Southern Miss in the Holmes Convocation Center. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
“The (designed play) was to get Myles downhill,” Kerns added, “with (forward) Jalil Beaubrun setting a screen and let Myles make a play. Myles Tate… it’s what makes him a winner… he made the winning play. That is the second time he has done that (in 2024-25), a play being designed for him but he trusted a teammate. It was a great job by CJ to go finish that and dunk it.”
App State carved out the win in spite of 12 turnovers on a night when shooting by both teams seemed to come at a premium. Opportunities to gain separation were squandered (by both teams) with errant passes or not protecting the ball.
“I give Southern Miss credit,” said Kerns. “They were really aggressive with us, especially with our ball screens. We expected them to play a different coverage. They came up with a game plan for us, which is very common. We did something different with them, too. They set us up for some of our mistakes. I give them credit for the turnovers.”
Whether shooting or making a game-winning pass, Myles Tate seems to come up big every game for the App State Mountaineers. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
When push came to proverbial shove, it was App State’s conference-leading defense that may have saved the day.
After Connors tied the game at 58-all with 38 seconds left, it was Beaubrun who muscled in to collect the defensive rebound on Curbelo’s errant shot and Watson’s missed tip-in that could have given the Eagles a lead with 10 seconds left on the clock. Earlier, Beaubrun made his presence felt with what Kerns described later as a “monster block.” Huntley was ever present to secure one of his game-high 12 rebounds, matched only by Southern Miss forward Denijay Harris.
Along with his 12 rebounds, Huntley’s dunk at the final buzzer gave him a game-high 20 points and his second consecutive double-double. It was his sixth double-double of the season.
Both the Mountaineers and Eagles got the majority of their offensive production from inside the paint, App State with 34 points down low and Southern Miss with 32. Huntley and Beaubrun (12 points) were the only Mountaineers in double figures, but Tate and Connors added eight important points each. Reinforcing the inside theme, redshirt freshman center Luke Wilson came off the bench to add six points.
Guard Alonzo Dodd has become an important complement to App State’s other two starting guards, Myles Tate and Dior Connors. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports.
At 9-3 in Sun Belt Conference play, Arkansas State continues to hold on to the No. 1 spot in the standings, but App State (8-4) joins South Alabama, Troy, James Madison and Marshall in a tie for the coveted No. 2 seed.
The 5-way deadlock should sort itself out in the coming few weeks. After the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge game at Ohio on Feb. 8, the Mountaineers travel to Coastal Carolina (Feb. 13) and Georgia State (Feb. 15) before returning home to challenge Georgia Southern (Feb. 20) and Marshall (Feb. 22). They close out the regular season on the road with tilts at Georgia Southern (Feb. 25) and at Marshall (Feb. 28). The Sun Belt Conference Tournament is scheduled to begin March 4, with the championship game slated for March 10 in Pensacola, Fla. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds earn byes into the semifinals, the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds into the quarterfinals.
By David Rogers. WILIMINGTON, N.C. — A slow start quickly morphed into a flash fire on Nov. 29, with Appalachian State men’s basketball storming to a convincing, 72-50 win over Colgate at Trask Coliseum. It was the first game of the Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic’s second day, with the win leaving the Mountaineers 2-0 for their trip to the coast and 5-2 on the young, 2024-25 season.
After a barrage of 3-point shooting and 50 percent shooting from the field, overall, helped the Raiders dismantle tournament host UNC-Wilmington on Nov. 27, 72-59, App State expected a challenge, particularly from the perimeter. But the Mountaineers were able to limit Colgate’s outside shooting and instead beat them at their own game.
Behind a long distance performance for the ages by senior Myles Tate in the first half. After the first media timeout, the Mountaineers scored 20 consecutive points, including three straight 3-pointers by Tate, to take a 19-point lead, a margin that barely shrank at any time for the rest of the game.
Tate finished the contest shooting 4-of-8 (50 percent) from behind the 3-point arc, accounting for 15 total points on the afternoon. Forward C J Huntley missed on all three of his 3-point attempts but it hardly mattered as he went on to put down a game-high 19 points. Center Jalil Beaubrun was also in double figures for the day’s work, landing 11 points to go with 6 rebounds.
The Raiders have been to the NCAA “March Madness” tourney seven times, including five of the last six years. They were the Patriot League’s regular season champions in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024. They didn’t win the league’s regular season in 2021, but they made up for it by being the conference tourney champions that year. An interesting tidbit: Colgate started its basketball program in 1900-01.
The Mountaineers were not intimidated by the Raiders’ pedigree, to be sure. dominating in five primary categories:
Points from turnovers: APP 23, COL 7
Points in the paint: APP 36, COL 20
Second chance points: APP 11, COL 5
Fast break points: APP 12, COL 7
Points scored by bench: APP 16, COL 8
The bench points advantage came in spite of the court time being dominated by four Mountaineers each playing more than 30 of the 40 game minutes. That included Tate (33 minutes), Huntley (35 minutes), Jackson Threadgill (35 minutes) and Dior Conners (32 minutes). The fifth starter, Beaubrun, was on the court for 21 minutes. The only other players to get meaningful court time were Luke Wilson (16 minutes) and Anthony Alston (12 minutes). Alston poured in 8 points off the bench while Wilson added four as well as six rebounds.
Next up for the Mountaineers will be the tournament finale against host UNC-Wilmington on Saturday, Nov. 30, with tipoff slated for 3 p.m., following the noon curtain-raiser between Colgate and Sam Houston State.
UNCW salvaged its host weekend by defeating Sam Houston State on Nov. 29, 69-60, after falling to Colgate on the tournament’s first day, 72-59.
BOONE, N.C. – Darryl Robinson, a name etched throughout the App State men’s basketball record books, will have his jersey retired by the program on Feb. 22, App State Athletics announced Monday. Robinson’s jersey will be the first in App State men’s basketball history to be hung from the rafters.
The retirement ceremony will take place at halftime of App State’s home finale against the Marshall Thundering Herd, the culmination of a season-long celebration of the Mountaineer legend.
“I’m not sure I can put into words what this means to me,” Robinson said. “App State has been home since I was 17 years old. I’ve learned a lot of life lessons here that I’ve held with me for the last 50 years. I’m humbled to be the first and it’s a tremendous honor.”
As a leader, champion and the highest NBA draft pick in program history, Darryl laid a foundation for many Mountaineers to build upon since his playing days in Boone.
A 1986 App State Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Robinson was a two-time All-SoCon second-team honoree, a first-team All-SoCon selection in 1979 and the 1979 SoCon Tournament MVP. Wearing No. 10 for the Black and Gold, he was the Mountaineers’ leading scorer three different years and led the program to back-to-back SoCon championships and App State’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Robinson was drafted 78th overall in the 1978-79 draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.
“We are thrilled to honor Darryl’s outstanding legacy by making him the first player in program history to have his jersey retired,” said Director of Athletics Doug Gillin. “As a leader, champion and the highest NBA draft pick in program history, Darryl laid a foundation for many Mountaineers to build upon since his playing days in Boone.”
Robinson came to Boone as a freshman, joining what was a three-win team in 1974-75, and immediately led a 10-win turnaround as the leading scorer for the Mountaineers. By his senior year, Robinson had helped put the Mountaineers on the map as he led App State to a 7-0 start to begin the year and 23 total wins, which culminated in an outright SoCon Championship, the team’s second consecutive regular-season title.
In the 1978-79 SoCon Tournament, Robinson was outstanding, leading the team to a quarterfinal win over VMI and a 22-point victory over Western Carolina in the semifinals. He cemented his name as an App State legend by scoring 26 points in the championship game against Furman, which led to the Mountaineers’ first SoCon Tournament championship and punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Robinson was App State’s first SoCon Tournament MVP.
Robinson is the only Mountaineer to be a part of two consecutive outright conference championships
Darryl made me a lot better coach, and his leadership was unmatched,” legendary App State head coach Bobby Cremins said. “He came in and started from day one when we were down and out and helped us win a championship. I’m very proud to see this happen, but most importantly, Darryl deserves this honor.”
Thousands of Mountaineer faithful flocked to Varsity Gym to welcome home Robinson and the Mountaineers ahead of their first-round game against the LSU Tigers.
Robinson’s esteemed career in the High Country saw him amass 1,631 points, still the eighth-most in program history, while shooting an impressive 50 percent from the field. He played in 111 games and was a starter from the moment he stepped on campus. He also pulled in 408 rebounds and dished out 220 assists.
He is the only Mountaineer to be a part of two consecutive outright conference championships, winning in the 1977-78 and 1978-79 seasons. The 23 wins in 1978-79 has only been surpassed by four other teams (1999-00, 2006-07, 2009-10 and 2023-24).
“Darryl Robinson without a doubt deserves to be the first person in App State Basketball history to have their jersey retired,” head coach Dustin Kerns said. “He led App State to its first NCAA Tournament appearance and was drafted to the NBA. Most importantly, he loves App State and is such a proud alumnus and Mountaineer. It is truly an honor to be a part of this moment, and I am so happy for him, Gwen and their family for this well-earned recognition.”
Robinson is a native of Brooklyn, New York, and currently lives in Raleigh with his wife, Gwen. He is the father of Shawan Robinson, who also had a successful college basketball career at Clemson from 2002-06, and Joy Strong (formerly Robinson).
By Matt Present. BOONE, N.C. — Izzi Wood registered her third brace of the season and Sarah Wommack made a clutch second-half save to lift App State over Arkansas State 2-1 on Oct. 20.
With the Mountaineers (6-4-5, 3-1-2) leading 1-0 in the 74th minute of play, an Arkansas State (3-5-5, 0-4-3) player was fouled in the box, resulting in a penalty kick opportunity to potentially tie the score. Wommack rose to the occasion, diving to her right to block the shot, and three minutes later Wood scored her second goal of the match to help App State secure the win.
Wood’s first tally came in the 28th minute of play. After pickpocketing a Red Wolves defender, Wood dribbled to the center of the box, cut to her right to shed a helping defender and fired a shot into the top-right corner of the net to give the Mountaineers a 1-0 advantage.
The graduate student scored her second goal in the 77th minute of play. Stephanie Barbosa crossed a ball into the middle of the box and Red Wolves goalkeeper Taylor Sweat deflected the pass straight into the air. An Arkansas State defender attempted to make the clear but headed it right to Wood for the finish.
Wood moves into a tie for the league lead with ten goals on the season, and her 25th career goal ties her for third-most in program history with Jennifer Rudy (2001-2004) and Sam Childress (2012-2015), and just five goals shy of Casey Cleary’s program-record.
App State conceded its lone goal in the 81st minute of play as McKenzie Robinson banged a shot off the far post and into the back of the net to break up the shutout.
The victory marks the Mountaineers’ first home win in conference play this season and snaps a four-match winless streak dating back to Sept. 26.
The Mountaineers will travel to Troy on Thursday for their final regular season road match of the season. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
By Katherine Jamtgaard. JONESBORO, Ark. — The App State women’s basketball team rounded out the regular season with a 64-57 victory over Arkansas State on Friday. The Mountaineers went 16-14 this season and 9-9 in conference play, earning the No. 9 seed in the Sun Belt Women’s Basketball Championship.
Senior Faith Alston led the Mountaineers with 21 points, recording her 19th game as the Mountaineers’ top scorer and 27th game scoring double-figures this season. Alston also dished out a team-high four assists and recorded three rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Alexis Black recorded 15 points and combined with junior Emily Carver, who netted 13 points, for four of the Mountaineers’ six treys. Sophomore Rylan Moffitt tallied her 18th game as App State’s top rebounder, pulling down 10.
Faith Alston recorded her 19th game as the Mountaineers’ top scorer and 27th game scoring in double figures this season.
The Mountaineers shot 83.3% from the line and held Arkansas State to two treys on the night. App State also limited the Red Wolves to two fastbreak points, while netting 11 off fastbreaks. The Mountaineers also caused 23 Arkansas State turnovers. The Black and Gold and Red Wolves tied the score eight times and swapped the lead seven times over the course of play.
In the first quarter, the Mountaineers and Red Wolves traded the lead four times and tied five times. Alston accounted for eight of the Black and Gold’s 13 points in the quarter and both teams went on five-point scoring runs midway through the period. Arkansas State managed to pull ahead to close the quarter 17-13.
App State held Arkansas State to nine points in the second quarter, opening the period with a layup from Carver. The Mountaineers went on a 14-4 run, with contributions from Alston, Black, sophomore Chaé Harris, and graduate student Mariah Frazier, to take the lead. Moffitt landed a late jumper despite Arkansas State’s efforts to catch up with the Mountaineers. App State ended the half with a 29-26 edge over the Red Wolves. Over the course of the period, App State caused eight Arkansas State turnovers compared to the Mountaineers’ two.
The Mountaineers took a 44-43 edge at the close of the third quarter, despite tying and trading the lead twice. Carver knocked down both of the Mountaineers’ treys in the period, while fifth year senior Taylor Lewis drained a pair of freebies to give the Mountaineers the edge going into the fourth period.
App State outscored Arkansas State 20-14 in the final period, as Black, Carver, and Alston each contributed five points apiece. The Mountaineers went on a 9-0 scoring run right away, as Lewis drained a 3-point bucket to start the quarter. Carver completed a three-point play, which Black followed up with a trey of her own. Shortly after, Alston knocked down a trey to bring App State to an 11-point lead (56-45). As Arkansas State chipped away at the Mountaineers’ lead, Alston, Carver, and Black combined for six free throws to secure the win, 64-55.
UP NEXT
The Sun Belt Conference announced the seeding and matchups for the 2024 Sun Belt Women’s Basketball Championship after the Mountaineers’ nightcap in Jonesboro. App State will enter the tournament as the No. 9 seed and will open tournament play against No. 8 seeded Georgia State on March 6 at 11:30 a.m. CT (12:30 a.m. ET).
The SBC Women’s Basketball Championship is slated for March 5-11 at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla. All 14 teams will make an appearance and all games leading up to the championship game will be available to stream on ESPN+. The championship game on March 11 will be broadcasted on ESPNU.
Full Championship Schedule
Tuesday, March 5
Game 1 – (12) Georgia Southern vs. (13 ) Texas State– 11:30 a.m. CT (12:30 p.m. ET)
Game 2 – (11) Coastal Carolina vs. (14) South Alabama– 2:00 p.m. CT (3:00 p.m. ET)
Wednesday, March 6
Game 3 – (8) Georgia State vs. (9) App State– 11:30 a.m. CT (12:30 p.m. ET)
Game 4 – (5) ULM vs. Winner Game 1 – 2:00 p.m. CT (3:00 p.m. ET)
Game 5 – (6) Southern Miss vs. Winner Game 2 – 5:00 p.m. CT (6:00 p.m. ET)
Game 6 – (7) Louisiana vs. (10) Arkansas State – 7:30 p.m. CT (8:30 p.m. ET)
Friday, March 8
Game 7 – (1) Marshall vs. Winner Game 3 – 11:30 a.m. CT (12:30 p.m. ET)
Game 8 – (4) Old Dominion vs. Winner Game 4 – 2:00 p.m. CT (3:00 p.m. ET)
Game 9 – (3) James Madison vs. Winner Game 5 – 5:00 p.m. CT (6:00 p.m. ET)
Game 10 – (2) Troy vs. Winner Game 6 – 7:30 p.m. CT (8:30 p.m. ET)
Sunday, March 10
Game 11 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 – 11:30 a.m. CT (12:30 p.m. ET)
Game 12 – Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 – 2:00 p.m. CT (3:00 p.m. ET)
Monday, March 11: Championship Match
Game 13 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 – 1:00 p.m. CT (2:00 p.m. ET)
