@GirlMommaGifts: Have you checked the applicable CSV file available on your Star Seller page to confirm which new Message threads Etsy thinks were unanswered or answered late?
When you look at the file remember that that the dates / times are in UTC (not your time zone), only the first message of a new incoming thread is included (all that counts for Star Seller), and usually a new incoming thread is not included until after the 24 hour reply window has passed regardless of when you replied. Star Seller stats (and the CSV file) seem to be updated only once per day so there may be an additional day's delay. There is also a link to the actual message thread so you can verify if the data is correct or not. Keep in mind that the Star Seller metric is NOT all new messages but only the first message of all new incoming threads.
