MONROE, La. – Gabriella Cortez scored 19 of her game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter as ULM tried to rally from an 18-point deficit, but Appalachian State converted eight-straight free throws over the final 39 seconds to hold on for a 71-67 win Saturday, Jan. 6 in Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
 
App State (3-12, 1-3 Sun Belt) made a school-record 15 3-pointers and got a career-high 27 points from Tierra Wilson.
 
Wilson scored 12 first-quarter points, hitting all four of her 3-point field-goal attempts, as the Mountaineers built an 18-11 lead in the first 10 minutes.
 
Trailing by 13 points early in the second quarter, ULM (4-11, 1-3) put together a 7-0 run and pulled to within six at 27-21 on a 3-pointer from Cortez with 5:00 left in the first half. App State closed out the second quarter with an 8-0 spurt and took a 35-21 lead into the locker room. Wilson hit 6-of-7 3-point field-goal attempts and scored 20 points in the first 20 minutes. The Warhawks missed their last seven field-goal attempts and went scoreless over the final five minutes of the first half.
 
Each team scored 18 points in the third quarter and the Mountaineers carried a 53-39 lead into the final period.
 
App State matched its largest lead at 59-41 on a 3-pointer from Nicola Mathews with 7:44 remaining in the fourth quarter. A 3-pointer from Cortez sparked a 15-2 run and ULM cut its deficit to 63-59 on two free throws by Jessica Harris with 40 seconds left. The Warhawks pulled to within two at 69-67 on another three from Cortez with 15 seconds to play. The Mountaineers failed to score a field goal over the final four minutes but went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line over the final 39 seconds to ice the game.
 
ULM shot 54 percent (13-of-24) from the field in the second half, including 58 percent (7-of-12) from 3-point range.
 
App State made 15-of-26 3-point field-goal attempts, including 7-of-12 from Wilson, and outrebounded ULM, 43-22. Mathews hit 5-of-8 3-pointers and finished with 17 points while Lainey Gosnell added 11 points off the Mountaineer bench.
 
"We never expected App State to make 10-of-13 threes in the first half," ULM head basketball coach Jeff Dow said. "We had a slightly better defensive effort in the second half, but we dug ourselves too big of a hole. App State had a phenomenal shooting performance. To shot 58 percent from behind the 3-point line for the game, that's hard to do at this level.
 
"App State did a lot of good things offensively. They frequently beat us off the dribble, and when help came, they found open 3-point shooters. We paid for our defensive breakdowns because we left open 3-point shooters, who caught and shot the ball in rhythm. Tierra Wilson had a huge game, and Nicola Mathews made some big threes too.
 
"The rebound margin also played a major role in the outcome of the game," Dow continued. "App State missed a total of 15 shots in the first half and had 10 offensive boards. That's discouraging because App State had second and third chances on some possessions. We missed 21 shots and had only five offensive boards.
 
"We put ourselves in a difficult position down 18 in the fourth quarter, but our team deserves a ton of credit for showing resiliency in the comeback. Our players didn't fold; they played hard and continued competing. Defensively, they were flying around and forced some turnovers. The bottom line: you can't give up 71 points on your homecourt and expect to win."
 
Cortez connected 9-of-17 field-goal attempts, including 6-of-9 from behind the 3-point arc. The Warhawks also got 11 points from Tan Walker.
 
"Gabby Cortez is a pretty talented player on the offensive end of the floor," Dow said. "Coming off her career-high 32 points (against Coastal Carolina), we want her touching the ball. Clearly, she's the best 3-point shooter we have. We're very pleased with her performance, hitting 6-of-9 threes. Tan Walker gave us 11 points, but we need better balance. We had no one else if double figures, and we really need three or four players scoring consistently in double digits."
 
ULM has a week off before resuming Sun Belt play Saturday, Jan. 13 at the Ragin' Cajuns, with tipoff set for 4 p.m.