UNCG slips by ASU
From staff reports

GREENSBORO — For the third time in as many games, it came down to the final possession for the Appalachian State women’s basketball team. For the first time during the stretch, things did not go the right way for the Mountaineers, as the team fell 56-54 at UNC Greensboro on Monday afternoon.

The lead went back and forth for a majority of the second half, until a GiGi Thomas lay-up gave Appalachian State a 53-50 lead with just under four minutes to play. The three-point lead was the team’s largest of the game.

UNC Greensboro (4-15, 2-6) fought back to tie the game at 54-54 before Gini Grimsley was able to hit a jumper from the paint to give the Spartans a 56-54 lead with 21 seconds left in the game.

Appalachian State’s Whitney Randolph was fouled on a stickback attempt with one second left and went to the foul line. She missed her first attempt, and then intentionally missed her second try in an attempt to get the rebound and put the ball back in to tie the game.

The Mountaineers could not rebound the ball for the final shot and time expired.

Appalachian State (4-14, 1-6 SoCon) saw its two-game winning streak end. The Mountaineers beat Elon Saturday to capture their first Southern Conference victory of the season.

Thomas, who scored eight of Appalachian State’s first 12 points in the game, led the Mountaineers with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting. She also had six rebounds and a pair of steals. Thomas finished with 12 of the Mountaineers’ 25 points in the first half on 6-of-9 shooting.

Whitney Tossie struggled in the first half, but finished with 15 points, three steals and a team-high seven rebounds.

UNCG's Kemena Brooks had 10 early points, which propelled the home team to a 20-14 lead midway through the first period. Brooks posted 12 points in the opening half, and UNC Greensboro claimed a 29-25 halftime lead. The Mountaineers shot just 32 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.

Free throws kept Appalachian State in the game. The Mountaineers knocked down 6-of-8 in the first half and 14-of-23 in the game, compared to 3-of-5 and 12-of-21 by the Spartans.

UNCG outscored Appalachian State 28-12 in the paint, while the Mountaineers held an 18-12 advantage in points off of turnovers.

Appalachian hosts Furman Saturday at the Holmes Center starting at 2 p.m.