Texas State women’s basketball (10-4, 1-1 Sun Belt Conference) traveled to Boone, North Carolina, to face Appalachian State University (7-6, 1-1 Sun Belt Conference), handing the Mountaineers their first conference loss in a 67-58 victory Thursday afternoon at the Holmes Convocation Center.
The Mountaineers, coming off back-to-back victories over Mercer and Louisiana-Lafayette, entered the match looking to go 2-0 in conference play.
Bench scoring told the story of the game for the Bobcats, as senior forward Morgan Hill and junior guard Crystal Smith combined for 27 of the Bobcats’ 33 total bench points.
Graduate guard Ja’Niah Henson led all scorers with 19 points to go along with two steals in 36 minutes of action.
Texas State started the game slow, as the Bobcats shot 4-for-17 in the first quarter and trailed by 11 points to the Mountaineers to conclude the opening period.
The second quarter saw Texas State turn it around offensively after Henson and senior forward Nicole Leff scored 13 straight points for the Bobcats, cutting its deficit to four before halftime.
Despite a shaky start for the Bobcats, they grabbed their first lead after a step-back midrange shot from Henson gave them a momentary one-point lead near the end of the third quarter.
Texas State started the fourth quarter down by three points but quickly tied the game once again after a successful three-pointer from Smith.
Texas State began successfully executing its late-game offense nearing the five-minute mark of the quarter and took control as the Mountaineers failed to match their scoring late in the fourth quarter.
The Bobcats ultimately sealed off a nine-point victory over Appalachian State, marking their first conference victory of the young season.
Texas State started a four-game road trip with its victory over the Mountaineers and now looks forward to its next opponent, against Georgia State (7-5, 1-1 Sun Belt Conference).
Tip-off between Texas State and Georgia State is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 6, at the GSU Convocation Center in Atlanta. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
