University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Appalachian State
App State Holds off UNC Asheville, 85-71
12.10.2011 | Women's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Anna Freeman scored 24 points as Appalachian State held off several UNC Asheville comebacks as the Mountaineers downed the Bulldogs 85-71 in the Asheville Collegiate Invitational Saturday afternoon at Kimmel Arena.
The win was ASU's (7-1) seventh straight victory, while Asheville fell to 2-5 on the season.
The Bulldogs were led by Lindsey Thompson's 19 points. Freshman guard Shonese Jones and Brittany Gwyn finished with 14 points each. Saturday's game was Gwyn's debut as she missed the first six game of the season due to an injury.
The Mountaineers had Courtney Freeman in double figures with 14 points. Maryah Sydnor chipped in 10 points. Catherine Williams came close to a triple-double with six points, eight assists and 13 rebounds.
"We battled hard today and did a lot of good things but just couldn't stop them enough times," commented Asheville coach Betsy Blose. "Appalachian State is a great team and is going to win a lot of games this season. We fought hard for 40 minutes and that was good to see."
ASU led from start to finish but could never put the Bulldogs away until late in the game.
Grace Blaylock sank a long three-pointer for Asheville to cut the App lead to 64-57 with 5:19 left. The Apps had led by as much as 18 points before the Bulldogs rallied.
But the Apps responded by scoring on their next five possessions to build an 81-65 lead with 1:26 remaining. Williams scored all six of her points during the ASU run.
In the first half, ASU forced 13 Bulldog turnovers and turned them into 18 points to lead 36-25 at halftime. Anna Freeman had 11 first-half points, followed by 10 from Courtney. Asheville also struggled with its shooting as it shot just .308 (8-of-26) from the field.
The Apps dominated inside as it had a 46-27 scoring advantage in the paint. ASU had 31 second-chance points to just nine for the home team.
Thompson had a great day shooting for the Bulldogs. She went 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Gwyn went 8-of-12 from the free throw line and had five assists. Blaylock also had five assists for Asheville
Kelli Riles, who leads the nation in rebounding, grabbed 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs but was limited to just four points.
UNC Asheville starts a two-game road trip at Kennesaw State next Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m.
