Box Score BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University men's basketball extended its winning streak to four games dating back to the end of the 2014-15 season with a 76-68 win over Jacksonville in its season opener on Saturday.

The Mountaineers (1-0) were led by senior guard Chris Burgess who poured in 18 points and finished 6-of-9 from the field, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. Burgess dished out four assists and went 3-of-4 from the foul line.

Senior forward Michael Obacha also enjoyed a big day. Obacha finished in double figures with 11 points and contributed a team-high nine boards, including four on the offensive glass. As a group, the Mountaineers grabbed 20 offensive rebounds on the afternoon.

Also standing out was freshman guard Emarius Logan who chipped in 13 points, including an impressive 5-of-8 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the arc.

The Dolphins (0-1) got out to a quick start in the opening five minutes of the game and led 13-5 at the 15:05 mark of the first half. The Apps would begin to chip away and put together an 8-0 run sparked by a slam dunk from Ronshad Shabazz to give App State a 16-15 lead.

During the run, Jacob Lawson, who is lauded for his defensive prowess, swatted two of his five total shots to keep the Black and Gold going. With the score knotted at 20-20, Appalachian put together a 6-0 run to put itself ahead 25-20. Despite the run, the Dolphins battled back and both teams would head into the locker room tied 32-32.

At the break, the Mountaineers had generated 13 second-chance points and were led by Shabazz with seven points.

Out of the intermission, App State and Jacksonville traded buckets until a 6-0 Dolphin run put Jacksonville up with a 43-39 advantage. After a media timeout, the Apps went on a 12-2 run that was highlighted by back-to-back Burgess shots. Burgess hit a jumper and followed it up with a three-pointer to put App State up 51-45 to force a Dolphin timeout. The ensuing inbounds defense from the Mountaineers forced another Dolphin timeout.

In a game of short spurt runs, the Dolphins constructed a 9-3 run to even the score at 54-54 with 7:43 left in the game. A 4-0 Mountaineer run with a put-back dunk from Tyrell Johnson and two free throws from Shabazz would be negated by a Dolphin 7-2 run, which put Jacksonville back in the lead, 61-60.

Out of an Appalachian State timeout, a three-pointer from Burgess and a layup and free throw from Obacha put the Apps ahead 66-61 and capped a 6-0 run for the Black and Gold and gave them the lead for good.

Up by two points at 66-64, two free throws from Frank Eaves followed up by a three-pointer from Logan opened up a 71-64 lead for the Mountaineers.

Two layups from Griffin Kinney finished off the Dolphins and the Apps would prevail 76-68.

For the game, App State finished with 25 second-chance points. Kinney finished with nine points and five boards, while shooting 4-of-5 from the field. After shooting just 28.6 percent in the first half, App State came out firing in the second and finished 14-of-30 from the field for 46.7 percent.

The Mountaineers, for the second-straight game including the exhibition against Belmont Abbey on Nov. 3, finished with 30+ free throw attempts. Obacha led the way from the charity stripe and finished 7-of-11 from the line.

Appalachian State will return to the court on Tuesday, Nov. 17 when they host longtime Southern Conference rival Furman. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. from the Holmes Center.