BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University men's basketball outscored Belmont Abbey 53-32 in the second half and cruised to a 20-point victory, 80-60, in its lone exhibition on Tuesday night inside the Holmes Center.

Griffin Kinney finished with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds in the Mountaineer triumph. Of his 10 rebounds, six came in the second half - three of which were on the offensive end. Frank Eaves also finished with double-digit points, including 12 of his 14 in the second half.

Kinney finished perfect from the field, 7-for-7, while also making 3-of-4 free throws on the night. Eaves shot 5-of-11, including 2-for-4 from behind the arc.

Appalachian got off to a sluggish start in the first half, particulary at the free throw line. In the first half, App State shot just 2-of-14 from the charity stripe in the first half and yet trailed the Crusaders by just one at the break, 28-27. In the opening posession of the game, freshman Ronshad Shabazz dribbled down and drilled a three-pointer to get the Apps going.

The Mountaineers would actually lead by 10 in the first half at 23-13, but Belmont Abbey staged a 15-4 run to close out the first half and head into the locker room with a narrow one-point advantage.

The second half of the game provided the excitement and intensity that many were waiting to witness out of the Mountaineers this season. At the 16:35 mark of the second half, App State regained the lead and would never relinquish it. Tied 32-32, an 18-7 run was sparked by an Eaves jumper.

During that run, up four points, freshman Emarius Logan knocked down a three-pointer, which was followed by an Eaves long-range triple that opened up an eight-point lead for the Black and Gold at 45-37.

With a 13-point lead at 55-42, Kinney brought the Mountaineer faithful to their feet with a two-handed thunderous dunk to put App State up by 15. Then, with a 16 point lead, Shabazz drove middle from the near sideline and flushed a one-handed jam to give Appalachian an 18-point lead at 64-46.

Both dunks came in the midst of a Mountaineer 25-5 run that seemingly put the game out of reach and Appalachian ahead by 28 points. Logan scored six-straight points with three consecutive layups, including a steal of an inbounds pass after a previous made layup.

Following up Logan, returning sophomore guard Landon Goesling initiated a 5-0 run with a layup, free throw and a jumper to give App State an 80-51 lead - one they would hold onto and win the game 80-60.

In the second half, Appalachian shot 53 percent from the field and an improved, but not stellar, 12-of-20 from the charity stripe - although the Mountaineers gave themselves 34 chances from the free throw line, a statistic that will big for a team that finished third in the Sun Belt Conference last season (70.9 percent).

Appalachian State will open up its regular season at home against Jacksonville on Saturday, Nov. 14 from the Holmes Center. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. They will also play host to longtime rival Furman on Tuesday, Nov. 17.