Men's Basketball Looks for Third Straight Road Win at Arkansas State

JONESBORO, Ark. -- The Appalachian State men's basketball team will look for its third consecutive road victory on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. EST. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN3.

THE SERIES

• This is the 10th all-time meeting between the two schools, with the Black and Gold holding a slim 5-4 edge.
• The Red Wolves won the meeting earlier this season in Boone on January 27 by a 93-88 score.

EARLIER THIS SEASON

• These two teams met in Boone on January 27, with the Red Wolves prevailing 93-88.
• Ronshad Shabazz scored 20 of his game-high 27 points in the second half to lead the Mountaineers. Justin Forrest added 15 points, three rebounds and four assists.
• Tyrell Johnson added 14 points and six boards, while O'Showen Williams had 11 points and three assists off the bench. Isaac Johnson tallied his first double-double of the season and second of his career with 10 points and 12 rebounds (seven offensive).
• The Black and Gold trailed by as many as 29 points in the second half and trimmed the deficit all the way down to four points with 14 seconds to play. But a key stop and free throw by Arkansas State put the game away.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Mountaineers turned in a strong defensive performance in a 65-54 win over Troy on Saturday. The Apps limited the Trojans to 27.6 percent shooting from the field and 15.4 percent on three-pointers.
• Ronshad Shabazz had a team-high 15 points and three assists, while Griffin Kinney had 12 points and eight rebounds.
• Justin Forrest had 10 points and seven rebounds, while Isaac Johnson finished with eight points and 11 rebounds.
• App State took control of the game early, scoring the first 13 points to build a lead. 
• The Mountaineers build as large of a lead as 22 points in the second half, only to see Troy cut it down to seven points. But free throws from O'Showen Williams would ice the game for the Black and Gold.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS

• The Apps stand at 12-16 on the season and 7-8 in Sun Belt play. The Mountaineers sit in a tie for seventh place and are just half a game out of fourth place in the Sun Belt standings.
• The Mountaineers have won two straight on the road, topping Texas State 59-56 on February 3 and Coastal Carolina 81-66 on February 10.
• Griffin Kinney has now reached double figures in five consecutive games and is averaging 15.0 points on 28-of-39 (71-.8 percent) shooting and 6.6 rebounds during that span.
• After a 11-rebound performance on Saturday, Isaac Johnson has reached double digit rebounds in 11 games this season. He has had seven or more rebounds in six of his last seven contests and is pulling down an average of 9.4 rebounds during that stretch.

SCOUTING THE RED WOLVES

• Arkansas State enters play with a 9-18 overall record and and 4-10 mark in the Sun Belt.
• The Red Wolves fell at home to Little Rock on Saturday 82-78. Ty Cockfield paced the Red Wolves with 27 points, while Tamas Bruce and Rashad Lindsey each had 11 points.
• Cockfield leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.0 ppg.
• Bruce ranks third on the team in scoring at 9.3 ppg, while leading the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and field goal percentage (54.8 percent).

UP NEXT
The Mountaineers will continue play in Arkansas, taking on Little Rock on Saturday at 6 p.m. EST.