South Alabama women’s basketball lost to Appalachian State on Thursday, with a final score of 60-57. The game took place in Boone, North Carolina, and leaves the Jaguars with a 2-8 record in league play.
The Jaguars started strong, responding to an early Mountaineers lead with a 7-0 run that included a three-pointer from Daniela Gonzalez. South Alabama finished the first quarter ahead 16-8. In the second quarter, Appalachian State went on a 9-0 run and improved their shooting percentage by 20 percent, leading at halftime 29-28.
South Alabama had difficulty scoring in the third quarter, going nearly five minutes without a field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Jaguars’ defense held Appalachian State scoreless for three minutes. Despite being down by seven points early in the final period, South Alabama closed the gap to one point late in the game. Most of the closing points came from free throws except for one Mountaineer layup; Appalachian State outscored South Alabama 6-5 in this stretch to secure the win.
The Jaguars recorded a season-high 13 steals during the game. Daniela Gonzalez scored a career-high 21 points and made four three-pointers out of eight attempts. Tamara Ortiz set her own career high with six assists and has matched or exceeded her assist record for three straight games. The team also limited turnovers to just 14, their lowest since playing North Alabama on December 14.
Head coach Yolisha Jackson said: “I’m extremely proud of how hard our kids played. We’ve got to do a better job at guarding the three, and we need to make a couple more shots. I think Daniela Gonzalez had an excellent game tonight, and I thought Princess Okafor-Nweze provided us with some presence in the post. It’s time to get ready for JMU.”
South Alabama’s next game is against James Madison University at noon CST on Saturday at Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
For more information about South Alabama women’s basketball, visit usajaguars.com or follow @SouthAlabamaWBB on X (formerly Twitter), /SouthAlabamaAthletics on Facebook, or @SouthAlabamaWBB on Instagram.
