BOONE, N.C. -- Appalachian State will play its final game of the regular season on Saturday at 2 p.m. against South Alabama on Senior Day. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Appalachian Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.
TICKETS
Single game tickets are on sale and can be purchased by
clicking here or by contacting the Appalachian State ticket office at 828-262-2079.
SENIOR DAY
The Black and Gold will honor 10 members of its program prior to tip. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 1:45 to be a part of the Senior Day celebration.
THE SERIES
- South Alabama holds a 7-1 edge in the all-time series between the two schools.
- The Jaguars won 79-73 in Mobile in the Sun Belt opener on Jan. 3 and have won six straight in the series.
PREVIOUS MEETING
- These two teams opened Sun Belt play back on Jan. 3, with the Jaguars posting a 79-73 victory in Mobile.
- Ronshad Shabazz tallied a team-high 21 points (17 in the second half), to go along with three rebounds and a season-high tying five assists. Isaac Johnson finished with 14 points on 5-of-6 (83.3 percent) shooting and a team-high six rebounds. Justin Forrest chipped in with 10 points and three assists, while Hunter Seacat tallied eight points, three rebounds, two blocks and a career-high tying two steals. Off the bench, O'Showen Williams had 11 points, including a 3-of-5 (60.0 percent) mark from deep.
- App State came out of the gate strong and opened an early 11-4 edge. After the Jaguars cut the Mountaineer lead to 14-9, the Black and Gold countered with an 11-2 run to build a 25-11 advantage with 9:43 left in the first half. From there, South Alabama closed the half on a 25-6 run to take a 36-31 edge into the intermission. In the second half, South Alabama pushed its lead to 11 points at 49-38, only to see the Black and Gold trim its deficit to 51-47 with just over 10 minutes to play. The Jaguars responded and built their lead back up to 14 points at 72-58 with 2:33 to play. App State stormed back and cut its deficit to 77-73 on a three-pointer from O'Showen Williams with 27 seconds remaining in the game. The Mountaineers got no closer and South Alabama converted on two free throws down the stretch to close out the victory.
LAST TIME OUT
- App State clinched a spot in the Sun Belt Tournament with a 72-64 win over Troy on Thursday evening.
- Tyrell Johnson finished with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-10 (60.0 percent) shooting, four rebounds and two blocks off the bench. Justin Forrest added 15 points, four rebounds and three steals, while Isaac Johnson had 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Ronshad Shabazz also had 13 points and three rebounds for the Mountaineers.
- App State held an early 14-13 lead and got three-pointers from Forrest on three consecutive possessions to build a 23-17 lead midway through the first half. Troy countered with the next seven points to take a 24-23 with 5:43 left in the opening half. App State answered back with a 14-2 run to take open a 37-26 lead and took a 41-31 lead into the break. In the second half, the Black and Gold used an early 8-0 run to build a 51-37 advantage. The Trojans cut the Mountaineer lead to 10 points at 53-43, but App State responded with nine consecutive points to build a 62-43 lead, putting the game away.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
- The Black and Gold stand at 11-19 on the season and 6-11 in Sun Belt play. By virtue of their win over Troy and Little Rock's loss to Louisiana on Thursday, App State has clinched a spot in the Sun Belt Tournament.
- With a layup at the 12:42 mark of the first half, Ronshad Shabazz made the 701st field goal in his career to become the program's all-time leader in that category.
- Isaac Johnson pulled down seven rebounds in Thursday's win and has now recorded seven or more rebounds in 24 games this season. He currently leads the Sun Belt in rebounding at 8.8 rpg.
- With an appearance in Thursday's win, Ronshad Shabazz and Tyrell Johnson have played in 124 game at Appalachian State, which is tied for the fifth most games played in program history.
SCOUTING THE JAGUARS
- South Alabama fell at Coastal Carolina on Thursday evening by a 92-70 score to drop to 14-16 on the season and 7-10 in Sun Belt play.
- Trhae Mitchell paced the Jaguars with 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Josh Ajayi added 13 points and four rebounds.
- Ajayi leads four Jaguars who are averaging double figure scoring at 15.9 ppg...Mitchell (13.9 ppg), Rodrick Sikes (12.2 ppg) and Kory Holden (10.0 ppg) are also averaging double figures.
- Ajayi is shooting 56.0 percent from the field, which is tops on the team and leads the Sun Belt.
UP NEXT
Appalachian State will play next on Tuesday against an opponent and at a time that has yet to be determined in the First Round of the Sun Belt Tournament.
