Mountaineers Set to Battle UT Arlington on Sunday

BOONE, N.C. -- Fresh off of a victory in their Sun Belt opener, Appalachian State men's basketball welcomes UT Arlington to the Holmes Center on Sunday afternoon. Tip is set for approximately 2:30 p.m.

TICKETS

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.). 

THE SERIES

• This is the eighth all-time meeting between the two schools, with the Mavericks holding a 6-1 edge.
• UT Arlington has won the last four meetings, including a 84-69 win in Arlington and a 83-67 victory in Boone last season.

LAST TIME OUT

• App State improved to a perfect 5-0 at the Holmes Center this season after topping Texas State 66-62 in their Sun Belt opener on Friday evening.
• Ronshad Shabazz paced the Mountaineers with a game-high 20 points, while pulling down a season-high tying five rebounds and dishing out three assists.
• Justin Forrest added 14 points and drained the game winning three-pointer with 16 seconds left. Craig Hinton added 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks.
• The Black and Gold trailed by as many as nine points in the second half and trailed by six points, before Shabazz scored nine straight points to give the Mountaineers a 61-58 lead with just over two minutes to go.
• Texas State scored the next four points, but the Apps got a free throw to tie the score with under a minute to go. Following a defensive stop, Shabazz found Forrest who drained the go ahead trey. The Black and Gold forced another miss from the Bobcats and Isaac Johnson pulled down the rebound and hit a free throw to secure the victory.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS

• The Mountaineers 5-0 record at the Holmes Center is their best start at home since the 2009-10 season, when the Black and Gold also won their first five games in Boone. The last time App State won its first six contests at home was during the 2004-05 season.
• App State continues to have a strong presence rebounding. The Mountaineers have pulled down 577 total rebounds on the season, which leads the Sun Belt and is 14th in the nation. In addition, Appalachian is averaging 41.21 rebounds per game (first in Sun Belt, 16th in nation), 28.57 defensive rebounds per game (first in Sun Belt, 34th in nation) and 12.64 offensive rebounds per game (third in Sun Belt, 43rd in nation).
• After his 20-point performance on Friday evening, Shabazz has now scored in double figures in all 14 games this season. He also has scored 20 or more points seven times on the season.
• Isaac Johnson has pulled down 113 total rebounds, which is 70th in the nation and third in the Sun Belt. Johnson has posted at least six rebounds in nine straight games and is averaging 8.7 rpg during that span.

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS

• UT Arlington fell in its SUn Belt opener at Coastal Carolina on Friday evening by a 90-65 score.
• The Mavericks are currently ranked eighth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Top-25 and also were chosen as the preseason favorite in the Sun Belt.
• Kevin Hervey leads the team and Sun Belt in scoring at 22.5 ppg and is also averaging 8.8 rpg, which is tops on the team.
• Erick Neal leads the Sun Belt in assists (8.8 apg) and Johnny Hamilton is shooting a league best 62.7 percent from the field.
• Three other Mavericks are averaging double figures in Neal (12.5 ppg), Hamilton (11.9 ppg) and Wilson (11.7 ppg).

NEXT UP

• The Mountaineers will hit the road for their first two conference road games of the season. App State will take on Louisiana on Thursday at 8:15 p.m. EST and will play at UL Monroe on Saturday at 3 p.m. EST.