Box Score BOONE, N.C. - Chris Burgess scored a team-high 15 points and Tommy Spagnolo added 12 on 6-of-7 shooting to lead Appalachian State University men's basketball to a 67-64 win over Texas State on Thursday evening at the Holmes Center.

With its second-straight victory, Appalachian State (11-17, 8-11 Sun Belt) completed a season sweep new league rival Texas State (13-15, 7-12) and secured a top-eight finish in its first season in the Sun Belt Conference.

Appalachian led by as many as 10 points in the second half but saw its advantage whittled all the way down to one on three different occasions in the final 5:12 of the ballgame. However, Burgess banked in a key three-pointer to give the Mountaineers a 64-58 lead with 51 seconds to play and App State made 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.

Despite Texas State's late rally, the Mountaineers never trailed after Burgess knotted the score at 6-6 with a three-pointer just five-and-a-half minutes into the contest.

Thursday's contest was competitive from the onset as Texas State took an early 6-3 lead on Kavin Gilder-Tilbury's jumper with 14:43 to play in the first half, but the trey from Burgess in the ensuing possession sparked a 9-0 Mountaineer run that saw Appalachian grab a 12-6 lead with 11:50 on the clock.

The run was fueled completely by two players as Burgess nailed the first bucket and Spagnolo scored the next six points. Appalachian eventually stretched the lead to seven (17-10) with just under 10 minutes left, but the Bobcats mounted a 12-5 run over the next five-plus minutes to knot the game at 22-22.

Landon Goesling, who finished with six points on the night, broke the tie with a three-pointer that sparked a 10-2 run to put the Apps up by eight (32-24) before Texas State nailed a shot from long range just before the buzzer to make it 32-27 at the half.

The Mountaineers led comfortably for the vast majority of the second half before a frenetic final five minutes. After trailing by 10 (54-44) with a shade under 10 minutes to play, the Bobcats were able to use a 9-0 run to make it a one-point game with 5:12 on the clock.

Texas State would also cut the deficit to one point with 3:05 left and again with just 24 seconds, but the Mountaineers answered each time. After Frank Eaves put the Apps up by three with a pair of free-throws, the Bobcats had one more chance to tie, but Ethan Montalvo's shot was long and bounced away as time expired.

Burgess' 15 points led four Mountaineers in double-figures. Eaves and Jake Babic added 13 apiece to go along with Spagnolo's 12. Spagnolo led Appalachian with seven rebounds and Babic dished out a team-high four assists.

Gilder-Tilbury led all players with 17 points while Emani Gant finished with 11 and JaMarcus Weatherspoon grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

As a team, the Mountaineers shot 45.3 percent (24-of-53) and made 9-of-21 from beyond the arc while connecting on 10-of-13 free throws. Texas State shot 40.7 percent (22-of-54), made just 5-of-15 from deep and went 15-of-22 at the charity stripe.

The Bobcats finished with a 38-31 edge in offensive rebounds, but Appalachian finished with a 26-22 advantage in the paint and scored 12 points off turnovers.

Appalachian State hosts UT Arlington at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday in the season-finale as it wraps up its inaugural Sun Belt campaign.

NOTES: Appalachian State improved to 2-1 all-time against Texas State ... the Bobcats became the second Sun Belt foe to be swept by Appalachian this year (Troy) ... after being picked to finish last in the 11-team league, App State is ensured of finishing no worse than eighth in its first year as a Sun Belt member ... Thursday's win also ensured that Appalachian will finish no worse than .500 at home for the 11th-straight year and the 13th time in 15 seasons at the Holmes Center ... the win snapped a stretch of four-straight losses on Thursdays ... Burgess' five three-point buckets tied a career-high ... Eaves scored in double figures for the 21st time this season while Spagnolo accomplished the feat for the 18th time this year ... Appalachian State Athletics honored the 264 members of its Fall Academic Honor Roll at halftime ... the Mountaineers wore “It's On Us” shooting shirts in support of the It's On Us campaign to stop sexual assault across college campuses.