ARLINGTON, Tex. -- Appalachian State men's basketball will look for its first season sweep of Texas Arlington on Thursday evening at 8:15 p.m. EST. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN3 and can also be heard on the Appalachian State IMG Sports Network.
THE SERIES
- This will be the eighth meeting between the two schools, with the Mavericks holding a 5-2 edge.
- App State won the previous meeting this season in Boone by a 80-76 score
- UT Arlington has won all three previous contests in Arlington
PREVIOUS MEETING
- These two teams squared off in Boone on December 31, with the Mountaineers posting a 80-76 victory.
- Ronshad Shabazz tallied a team-high 21 points and a career-high tying six assists in the win.
- O'Showen Williams added 14 points and Griffin Kinney and Craig Hinton each finished with 11 points.
- The Mountaineers built as large as a 22-point first half lead. The Mavericks cut the Black and Gold lead to as little as four points, before two free throws from Isaac Johnson in the final seconds iced the game.
LAST TIME OUT
- App State dropped a 93-88 contest on Arkansas State on Saturday.
- Ronshad Shabazz tallied 20 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, finishing 9-of-17 (52.9 percent) from the field
- Justin Forrest had 15 points, three rebounds and four assists, while Tyrell Johnson tallied 14 points and six rebounds. Off the bench, O'Showen Williams finished with 11 points and three assists
- Isaac Johnson tallied his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
- Arkansas State built a 29-point second half lead, only to see the Mountaineers storm back and cut the deficit to just four points. The Red Wolves would fight off the Mountaineer rally in the final minutes for the win.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
- The Black and Gold stand at 9-14 on the season and 4-6 in Sun Belt play.
- After his 27-point performance on Saturday, Ronshad Shabazz now has scored 20 or more points 11 times this season and 25 times in his career. He currently leads the team and ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in scoring at 19.0 ppg.
- Justin Forrest has reached double figures in his last five games and is averaging 13.4 points and 1.4 steals during that stretch.
- O'Showen Williams has reached double figures in four straight games in a reserve role and is averaging 11.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists over that span.
- Isaac Johnson continues to be strong on the glass for the Black and Gold and is averaging 8.3 rpg, which is fourth in the Sun Belt. In addition, Johnson has pulled down 192 total rebounds on the season, which is 57th in the nation and second in the conference.
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
- UT Arlington is 10-13 on the season and 4-6 in Sun Belt play, after falling 74-59 at Georgia Southern on Saturday.
- Kevin Hervey paced the Mavericks with 29 points and eight rebounds, while Link Kabadyundi pulled down 11 rebounds.
- On the season, Hervey leads the team and ranks second in the Sun Belt in scoring (21.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.7 rpg).
- Erick Neal has dished out a league leading 164 assists on the season and also has a Sun Belt high 49 steals.
NEXT UP
The Mountaineers will continue play on Texas, taking on Texas State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. EST.
