Men's Basketball Looks to Bounce Back Against Troy on Saturday

BOONE, N.C. -- After falling at home on Thursday, the Appalachian State men's basketball team will look to bounce back on Saturday, hosting Troy at 3:30 p.m. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN3 and is also the Mountaineers Hoops for Hope game.

TICKETS
Tickets are still available for all remaining Appalachian State men's and women's home basketball 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.). 

Saturday is also youth day. All youth ages 12 and under will be admitted into the game for free. Mountaineer basketball alum Omar Carter will be on hand for the Healthy Heard Collaborative, which will promote cardiovascular health in the High Country community. At halftime, the Appalachian State football team will also be honored for their 2017 season.

HOOPS FOR HOPE
THe Mountaineers will be hosting a Hoops for Hope game to benefit the mission of Access to Success (A2S). A2S's mission is to provide sustainable programs that generate positive change for Nigerian children and their communities through education, faith and sports. A2S is a nonprofit that was started by Andrew Lovedale, a former Davidson College basketball player and Nigeria native. Lovedale played under current Appalachian State Head Coach Jim Fox during Fox's tenure as an assistant coach at Davidson.

Fans are asked to donate a pair of new or like new shoes along with $5 to cover shipping to support the mission. Fans that also stop by the table on the concourse can enter to win an autographed team basketball. Any shoe donation will also earn an extra entry for a chance to win the prize.

THE SERIES

• This is the 10th all-time meeting between the two schools, with App State holding a 6-3 lead.
• Troy won the meeting earlier this season at home on January 20 by a 81-79.

PREVIOUS MEETING

• The Trojans won the first meeting this season in Troy on January 22 by a 81-79 score.
• Ronshad Shabazz had a game-high 23 points and Justin Forrest added 15 points. Off the bench, O'Showen Willaims tallied 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals.
• Troy opened up a 10-point lead with 4:14 to play, only to see the Black and Gold storm back and tie the game at 79-79 with nine seconds to play. The Trojans came down the court and missed a shot, but Jordon Varnado pulled the rebound and scored on a putback with 2.7 seconds remaining. A desperation three-pointer by the Apps was no good, giving Troy the win.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Mountaineers fell at home on Thursday 77-66 to South Alabama.
• Isaac Johnson registered his second double-double of the season with a season-high 13 points and 12 rebounds. In the second half, Isaac Johnson tallied 11 points and nine rebounds.
• Griffin Kinney added 19 points, nine rebounds and a career-high tying four assists, while Tyrell Johnson finished with 10 points and tied his season-high in rebounds with seven.
• After the Jaguars opened up a 11-point first half lead, the Mountaineers closed the opening stanza on a 16-4 run over the final 6:29 to take a 32-31 lead into the break.
• The second half was tight throughout and a 6-0 spurt by South Alabama gave them a 62-57 lead. App State looked to mount a comeback, but the Jaguars put the game out of reach with seven straight points from the foul line.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS

• After falling on Thursday, the Black and Gold stand at 11-16 on the season and 6-8 in the Sun Belt. The Mountaineers are currently ninth in the Sun Belt and are just a half game behind UL Monroe for eighth place.
• With his 12 rebound performance against South Alabama, Isaac Johnson has now posted double digit rebounds in 10 games this season.
• In the Mountaineers 11 home games this season, Tyrell Johnson is averaging 9.5 points on 38-of-77 (49.4 percent) shooting, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.
• Griffin Kinney has now reached double figures in four straight games and is averaging 15.8 points on 22-of-31 (71.0 percent) shooting to go along with 6.3 rebounds.

SCOUTING THE TROJANS

• Troy extended its winning streak to four games with a 66-65 road win at Coastal Carolina on Thursday. The Trojans overcame a 12-point deficit in the final 10:40 of the game
• Alex Hicks had a team-high 16 points, while Javan Johnson tallied 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds, Off the bench, Kevin Baker added 14 points, five assists and two steals.
• A total of three Trojans are averaging double figures on the season. Wesley Person leads the team, averaging 18.3 ppg and is followed by Jordon Varnado (16.8 ppg) and Hicks (12.1 ppg). Hicks leads the team in rebounding (7.9 rpg) and blocks (35).

UP NEXT 
App State will return to the road for two games in Arkansas. The Mountaineers will take on Arkansas State on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. EST and Little Rock on February 24 at 6 p.m. EST. The Black and Gold will then return to Boone on March 3 for the regular season finale against Coastal Carolina at 3:30 p.m.