Men's Basketball to Host Ferrum in Home Opener on Thursday

BOONE, N.C. -- Appalachian State men's basketball welcomes Ferrum to the Holmes Center on Thursday evening in its home opener. Tip is set for 7 p.m. inside the Holmes Center on ESPN+. The contest will also be the first game in Boone for new head coach Dustin Kerns and his coaching staff.

TICKETS
Season tickets and single game tickets for the 2019-20 season are on sale and can be purchased by calling the App State ticket office at 828-262-2079.

KEY TAG GIVEAWAY
The first 1,000 fans through the door on Thursday evening will receive a key tag, featuring head coach Dustin Kerns and players.

ALCOHOL
The Holmes Center is planning to serve alcohol in concourse concession areas at select future basketball games. Details will be shared at a later time.

THE SERIES

• This will be the first regular season meeting between the two schools
• App State won an exhibition meeting over the Panthers last season by a 97-44 score

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS

• The Black and Gold fell 79-71 in its season opener at Michigan on Tuesday. Justin Forrest had a game-high 27 points, while Isaac Johnson added nine points and seven rebounds. Off the bench, Kendall Lewis tallied nine points and Michael Bibby had six points, a career-high five rebounds and a career-high tying three assists
• App State outscored Michigan 46-33 in the second half and went a 32-6 run over a 12:39 span in the second half, cutting the Wolverines lead from 30 points to four points
• After his 27-point performance, Forrest is now just 42 points shy of becoming the 33rd player in program history to reach 1,000 career points
• The Mountaineers have won their last five home openers, scoring over 100 points in the last three (125 vs. Mars Hill in 2018-19; 135 vs. Toccoa Falls in 2017-18; 119 vs. Warren Wilson in 2016-17)
• App State has won 12 straight non-conference home games, which is the longest active streak in the Sun Belt. During the streak, the Mountaineers are averaging 97.0 points and holding opponents to 61.8 points

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS

• Ferrum posted a 5-20 overall record in 2018-19 and went 4-14 in Old Dominion Athletic Conference play
• Rashad Reed returns this season for the Panthers after finishing second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.2 points. Reed was also second on the team in assists (52) and third in steals (24)
• Marcus Plair averaged a team-high 6.3 rebounds last season, while also shooting a team-best 56.5 percent from the field and blocking a team-best 16 shots

UP NEXT
The Mountaineers welcome East Carolina to the Holmes Center on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.