JONESBORO, Ark. – Junior
Ronshad Shabazz (Raleigh, N.C./Huntington Prep) tied his season-high with 32 points, but the Appalachian State men's basketball dropped a 82-79 overtime decision at Arkansas State on Thursday evening.
Shabazz also scored 32 points on November 16 against Iowa State and tallied 31 points at UT Arlington on February 1. He now has five games of 30 or more points in his career.
On the night, Shabazz made a season-high tying 12 field goals and also tied his season-best with five three-pointers. He also tied a career-high in steals (three) and tied a season-high in rebounds (five).
Freshman
Justin Forrest (Decautur, Ga./Greenforest McCalep Christian Academy) added 14 points, three rebounds and three steals for the Mountaineers (12-17, 7-9 SBC).
Junior
Tyrell Johnson (Atlanta, Ga./Stephenson) chipped in with 13 points and five rebounds. Sophomore
Isaac Johnson (Charlotte, N.C./Providence Day) recorded his third straight game of double digit rebounds, pulling down a game-high 12.
Rashad Lindsey paced the Red Wolves (10-18, 5-10 SBC) with 24 points, while Tristin Walley and Marquis Eaton each added 12 points.
For the second straight game, the Mountaineers came out of the gate strong and built a 15-point first half lead at 27-12 with 10:28 left.
From there, the Red Wolves would answer with a 17-2 run to knot the game at 29-29 with 2:44 left in the opening stanza.
App State got five straight points from Shabazz in the final minutes of the first half and took a 34-31 lead into halftime.
In the second half, the Mountaineers were able to build a 43-38 lead, only to see Arkansas State answer with a 10-0 spurt to build a 48-43 lead with 12:58 remaining.
After a App State basket, the Red Wolves put together an 8-0 run to expand their lead to 56-45 with 8:45 to play.
The Mountaineers came right back with Shabazz scoring all 11 points on an 11-0 run to tie the game at 56-56 with 6:39 to play.
With 1:52 remaining,
Tyrell Johnson put the Apps in front 68-67 with a free throw. Eaton responded with a basket, but senior
Griffin Kinney (Delaware, Ohio/Fork Union Military Academy) tied the game at 69-69 with just over a minute left on a free throw.
Following a Arkansas State turnover, the Black and Gold were forced into a tough shot and the Red Wolves took possession with 15.5 seconds left. The Mountaineers dug in and did not allow Arkansas State to get off a shot in the final moments, sending the game into overtime.
Shabazz broke a 73-73 tie in the extra session with a jumper with 2:31 remaining. The Red Wolves would tie the contest right back at 75-75 on a pair of free throws from Tamas Bruce.
App State would come up empty on its next possession and Lindsey gave Arkansas State a 77-75 advantage. Following a Mountaineer turnover, Lindsey was fouled and made both free throws to give the Red Wolves a 79-75 edge with 51.2 seconds left.
Arkansas State would force another Black and Gold turnover and Bruce split a pair of free throws. Shabazz would look to answer with a trey that was no good. Connor Kern of Arkansas State pulled down the rebound and was fouled. He would hit a free throw to put the game away.
Appalachian shot 29-of-66 (43.9 percent) from the field and went 9-of-25 (36.0 percent) from deep. The Red Wolves went 27-of-62 (43.5 percent) in shooting and 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) from deep.
App State will play its final road contest of the season on Saturday at Little Rock. Tip is set for 6 p.m. EST
