App State Looks to Bounce Back at UL Monroe on Saturday

MONROE, La. -- The Appalachian State men's basketball team will close out its Louisiana road swing on Saturday with a road contest at Louisiana Monroe. Tip is scheduled for approximately 3 p.m. EST.

THE SERIES

• This will be the sixth time these two teams have met, with the Warhawks holding a 4-1 edge in the series.
• UL Monroe has won the last three matchups, including a 75-64 victory in Boone in the only meeting between the two teams last season.

LAST TIME OUT

• Appalachian State dropped a 78-45 road decision at Louisiana on Thursday evening.
• Justin Forrest had a team-high 12 points to go along with six rebounds. Tyrell Johnson added nine points, four rebounds and three blocks.
• The Black and Gold held an early 9-6 lead, only to see the Ragin' Cajuns score the next nine points. Louisiana took control of the game at the end of the first half, going on a 27-2 run to close out the first stanza and take a 29-point lead into the break.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS

• App State stands at 7-9 on the season and 2-1 in the Sun Belt. The Mountaineers are currently in a four-way tie for second place in the league.
• The Mountaineers currently rank second in the Sun Belt in scoring offense (79.7 ppg) and rebounding (40.7 rpg) and fourth in three-point percentage (35.4 percent).
• In their first three Sun Belt contests, Appalachian has limited its opponents to 18-of-59 (30.5 percent) shooting on three-pointers and also has forced 41 turnovers.
• Ronshad Shabazz is averaging a team-high 20.1 ppg and also has dished out a team-best 51 assists. He also ranks second on the team with 19 steals.
• Tyrell Johnson currently has 26 total blocks, including seven over his last three games.
• Craig Hinton has recorded four or more rebounds in four straight games and is averaging 5.0 rebounds per game during that span.

SCOUTING THE WARHAWKS

• UL Monroe stands at 7-7 on the season and picked up its first Sun Belt win on Thursday evening by an 82-72 score over Coastal Carolina.
• Sam McDaniel paced ULM with 28 points, including a perfect 6-of-6 mark on three-pointers. Jordan Harris added 15 points and five assists, while Brandon Newman had 12 points off the bench.
• The Warhawks lead the conference in both free throw percentage (75.9 percent) and three-point percentage (39.2 percent).
• McDaniel leads the team in scoring at 15.9 ppg, while also having a team-best 37 assists. Travis Munnings is second on the team in scoring at 15.6 ppg and leads the team in rebounding at 6.9 ppg.

NEXT UP

• The Mountaineers will return to Boone and play two games inside the Holmes Center. The Black and Gold host Georgia State on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and will take on Georgia Southern on January 13 at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are still available for all remaining Appalachian State men's basketball home games. Appalachian State basketball single game tickets can be purchased online by clicking here, by phone at (828) 262-2079 or in person at the Appalachian State athletics ticket office, located at the Holmes Center (Monday - Friday; 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.).