TROY, Ala. -- App State men's basketball heads to Troy to begin a four-game road swing. The Mountaineers and Trojans will meet Friday night at 7 p.m. EST and Saturday at 5 p.m. EST. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Appalachian Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.
THE SERIES
- This is the 17th meeting between the two schools, with the Mountaineers holding a 11-5 edge.
- The two teams split a weekend series in Boone earlier this season with Troy winning 69-56 and the Mountaineers winning 90-59 in their largest Sun Belt victory ever.
LAST TIME OUT
- App State finished off a weekend sweep of Georgia State with a 74-61 win on Saturday.
- James Lewis Jr. finished with App State career highs of 22 points and 14 rebounds (eight offensive). He went 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) from the field and added three steals and a block. Donovan Gregory chipped in 14 points on 5-of-7 (71.4 percent) and six rebounds. Justin Forrest and Michael Almonacy each added 13 points for App State.
- After the Panthers jumped out to a 16-7 lead, App State stormed back with a 19-3 run, capped by a pair of Gregory free throws, to open a 26-19 lead with 6:12 left in the first half. Following a Georgia State trey, the Mountaineers answered with six straight points to take a 32-22 edge with 3:50 remaining in the half. Georgia State came right back with four straight points, before the Mountaineers closed the half with the final five points. Forrest capped the scoring in the first half with a 3-pointer from just inside half court in the final moments to give the Black and Gold a 37-26 advantage heading into the locker room. The Panthers opened the second half on a 14-5 run to pull within two points at 42-40. The Mountaineers countered with the next four points, but Georgia State pulled within four points again at 48-44 with 8:01 left to play. From there, the Mountaineers responded with an 11-2 spurt to open a 59-46 advantage with 4:35 to play. A 3-pointer from Almonacy less than a minute later gave the Black and Gold its largest lead of the game at 63-48 with just under four minutes left to play. Georgia State pulled within 11 points late, but could get no closer as App State finished off the weekend sweep.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
- App State stands at 12-5 on the season and 6-2 Sun Belt play. The Mountaineers 6-2 conference record sits atop the Sun Belt East Division.
- The Black and Gold were ranked No. 25 in the most recent CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. It marks the first the Mountaineers have been ranked in the poll since 2010.
- In conference play this season, James Lewis Jr. is averaging 12.3 points on 64.7 percent (33-of-51) shooting and 6.6 rebounds.
- Donovan Gregory has reached double figures in 12 games this season. He is shooting 55.1 percent this season, which sits eighth in the conference.
- App State is limiting opponents to 62.0 points this season, which leads the conference.
SCOUTING THE TROJANS
- Troy fell to 6-9 overall and 1-5 in Sun Belt play with a 70-65 loss at Coastal Carolina on Saturday.
- Kam Woods poured in 28 points and Desmond Williams added 11 points. Zay Williams tallied a near double-double with eight points and 13 rebounds.
- Woods leads the team in scoring at 12.4 points, with Williams right behind at 12.0 points.
- Woods (8.3 rpg) and Nick Stampley (7.0 rpg) are both averaging over 7.0 rebounds per game for the Trojans.
UP NEXT
App State will continue its road swing at Georgia State next weekend on Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. and Feb. 6 at 4 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Appalachian Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.
