A-State Falls Short in Conference Debut Against App State, 77-62

BOONE, N.C. (12/29/24) – Arkansas State women’s basketball (4-7, 0-1 SBC) started strong but App State (5-6, 1-0 SBC) distanced themselves in the second half, concluding with a 77-62 loss on Sunday afternoon at the Holmes Convocation Center.
 
Kennedie Montue topped the scoring with 21 points, connecting on 8-of-12 (66.7 percent) from the field and 4-of-8 (50 percent) from three-point range. She also led her team in rebounds with eight, while Kyanna Morgan led the efforts in steals with four.
 
As a unit, A-State managed 22-of-61 (36.1 percent) from the field and 9-of-32 (28.1 percent) from long range. The Red Wolves enforced 21 turnovers and recorded 13 steals, converting them into 20 points.
 
A-State surged to an early 4-0 advantage, however, the Mountaineers retaliated, leading to five changes in lead before a 10-2 run left the Red Wolves trailing 22-16 at the close of the quarter. Crislyn Rose contributed six points in that quarter along with three additional Red Wolves on the scoreboard.
 
Montue kicked off the second quarter with two three-pointers, bringing the Red Wolves within one possession of tying the game. App State countered with a 6-0 run, building their largest lead of the period to eight points with 5:53 remaining, eventually heading into halftime with a 35-29 lead.
 
Montue accounted for 11 of the 13 points in that quarter, with Rose adding the final score with 0:37 left. In the first half, the Red Wolves shot 11-for-30 (36.7 percent) from the field and 4-for-17 (23.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
 
The momentum fully shifted to the Mountaineers at the 6:25 mark in the third quarter, who then executed a 20-4 run thereafter. During that stretch, the Red Wolves experienced two lengthy scoring droughts of two or more minutes each, finishing the third with a 59-39 disadvantage.
 
A-State attempted an early rally in the fourth quarter, but App State restored the gap to 20 points with 4:45 left. Another surge, consisting of an 8-2 run, made the score 71-59, but it wasn’t sufficient as the Red Wolves ultimately lost by 15.
 
NEXT UP
A-State is set to host Marshall on Thursday, Jan. 2, at 7:00 p.m. inside First National Bank Arena. The game can be heard on 95.3/96.9 The Ticket Radio Network and viewed on ESPN+.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For updates on the A-State women’s basketball program, follow @AStateWB on Twitter/X and @astatewbb on Instagram, and like the team’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/RedWolvesWBB.