KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's basketball team dropped its Saturday contest against Appalachian State 78-68. Graduate student guard Kaitlyn Zarycki led all scorers with 22 points after shooting 9-15 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line. Defensively, Gabi Saxman led all players with six steals. 

WMU was limited to eight points in the first quarter. To lead the Brown and Gold, Zarycki, Megan Wagner, and De'Ahna Richardson scored buckets for the WMU offense. At the end of the first, the Brown and Gold faced an 11-point deficit. 

During the second quarter, the Broncos bounced back offensively and scored 15 points while holding App State to a quarter-low 13 points. Graduate student Jasmine Elder would score all eight of her points in the second quarter to help continue to close the gap between WMU and App State. At the conclusion of the quarter, Nile Mugira Orbe would lay in a buzzer-beating bucket to bring WMU's deficit to single digits. At the half, WMU trialed the Mountaineers 32-23. 

The Brown and Gold scored a team-high 25 points in the third quarter against App State after shooting 2-3 from range and 7-7 from the stripe. After a three-pointer from Richardson and 11 points from Zarycki during a five-and-a-half minute span, WMU managed to pull within two points of the Mountaineers: With 4:35 left in the quarter, the Broncos were down only 43-41 in favor of App State. Despite the run, App State built a 12-point lead over the remaining four and a half minutes heading into the fourth quarter. 

Entering the final frame, the Broncos faced an uphill battle down 60-48. With four and a half to go, Richardson converted on an and-one and knocked down a jumper to pull WMU within nine. Following Richardson's offensive burst, Saxman would then take charge and flip the switch into attack mode offensively. After Saxman hit a three-pointer and played in a bucket in back-to-back possessions, WMU managed to cut App State's lead down to six with 2:27 remaining in regulation. However, the Broncos were limited to a single point over the final two and a half minutes Saturday, resulting in a loss to App State. 

Tip-Ins

Sophomore De'Ahna Richardson continued her exceptional play of late by adding 19 points (a new career high) and seven rebounds today. Over her last three games, Richardson has averaged 14 points per game and has shot 47% from downtown. 

Historical Notes

With her six steals against App State, Saxman became the third player in program history to record at least six steals in three separate contests for the Brown and Gold. 

Zarycki's game high 22 points propelled her within 20 points of passing Taylor Williams (411 points, 2022-23) for the 22nd most points scored in a single season for WMU.

Up Next 

The Brown and Gold will face Northern Illinois University on the road Wednesday, February 14, at 12:00 PM. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.