App State Hosts South Alabama in Final Weekend Home Series of Season

BOONE, N.C. -- App State men's basketball welcomes South Alabama to the High Country for two games in a battle of the top two teams in the Sun Belt East Division. Friday's tip is set for 6 p.m. and Saturday's tip is at 4 p.m. Both contests can be seen on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Appalachian Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.

SPECTATOR INFO
With the implementation of Governor Roy Cooper's Executive Order 176, Phase 3 of North Carolina's eased coronavirus restrictions allows for indoor venues to have limited viewing. Tickets will be reserved for student-athlete families and select season ticket holders.

FAN CUTOUTS
Fan cutouts are available to purchase for inside the Holmes Center. Cutouts can be purchased by clicking here.

THE SERIES

• This is the 14th meeting between the two schools, with South Alabama leading 10-3.
• The two teams split a weekend series in Mobile on Jan. 15 and Jan. 16, with the Jaguars winning the opener 73-64 and the Mountaineers taking the finale 83-77.

LAST TIME OUT

• App State last played on Jan. 30, falling 65-59 at Troy.
• Justin Forrest finished with a team high 15 points and a team high four assists. James Lewis Jr. added 13 points and Michael Almonacy reached double figures for the eighth consecutive game with 10 points. Almonacy also pulled down a team leading seven rebounds.
• Forrest scored the first five points of the game to give App State an early lead, only to see Troy respond with the next five points to tie the score. The Mountaineers came right back with a 6-0 run to open an 11-5 lead with just under 16 minutes left in the opening half. Troy battled back to tie the game at 11-11 and broke a 16-16 tie with a pair of free throws. With the score tied at 22-22, the Trojans scored five straight points to open a 27-22 edge and held the lead for the remainder of the half and took a 32-30 lead into the break.
• Adrian Delph opened the scoring in the second half with a 3-pointer to put the Mountaineers up 33-32. Troy opened a 36-34 lead, but App State answered with a trey from RJ Duhart to jump back in front. The Trojans came right back with a three, but the Black and Gold used a 3-pointer from Donovan Gregory to open a 40-39 edge with 13:08 to play. Troy responded with a 7-0 run to build a 46-40 advantage with 11:27 to go. After a trey from Almonacy, Troy scored four straight points to open a 50-43 lead. Troy used another 5-0 spurt later in the half to take a 58-47 advantage with 6:17 remaining. Trailing 61-51 with 4:20 left, App State held Troy without a point for over three minutes to pull within six points at 61-55. The Trojans used a layup with 54 seconds left, but App State responded with four consecutive points to trim the Troy lead to 63-59 with 30 seconds left. Troy hit a pair of free throws down the stretch to put the game away.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS

• App State enters the weekend at 12-7 overall and 6-4 in conference. The 6-4 mark sits second in the Sun Belt East Division.
• Three Mountaineers are averaging double figures in Adrian Delph (12.4 ppg), Donovan Gregory (11.5 ppg) and Michael Almonacy (10.8 ppg).
• James Lewis Jr. leads the team and ranks second in the Sun Belt in field goal percentage (63.3 percent), while Gregory sits in a tie for 10th (53.8 percent).
• App State has held six opponents under 60 points this season and ranks second in the conference and 22nd nationally in scoring defense, giving up 62.6 points. The Mountaineers also lead the Sun Belt in free throw percentage (.751) and 3-point defense (.318).

SCOUTING THE JAGUARS

• South Alabama has won six straight after sweeping a two-game series with Troy last weekend and stands at 14-8 on the season and sits atop the Sun Belt East Division with a 8-5 mark.
• In Saturday's 58-51 win over Troy, Kayo Goncalves and John Pettway each had 14 points. Sam Iorio added a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
• Michael Flowers leads the Jaguars and conference in scoring, averaging 21.2 points. Locure (14.8 ppg) is also averaging double figure scoring.
• The Jaguars are limiting opponents to 41.2 percent shooting, which ranks third in the league.

UP NEXT
App State will begin a three-game road trip to conclude the regular season on Tuesday at Georgia State. Tip is set for 5 p.m. on ESPN+ and the Appalachian Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.