App State Begins Three Game Road Trip at Georgia State on Tuesday

ATLANTA, Ga. -- App State men's basketball begins a three game road trip to conclude the regular season on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Georgia State on ESPN+ and the Appalachian Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.

THE SERIES

• This is the 15th meeting between the two schools, with the series deadlocked at 7-7.
• App State swept a weekend series in Boone on Jan. 22 and Jan. 23, winning 80-71 and 74-61.

LAST TIME OUT

• App State dropped a 56-54 home contest to South Alabama on Saturday. 
• South Alabama opened up a 40-33 lead with 14:45 left to play in the game. From there, App State rallied to tie the game on a 3-pointer from Michael Almonacy with 11:42 left. The Mountaineers then used five straight points from Justin Forrest to take a 49-44 lead with 7:00 remaining. The Jaguars pulled within a point with 4:50 remaining, but the Mountaineers came right back with a basket from Almonacy to open a 53-50 edge with 4:15 to go. South Alabama tied the game at 53-53 with just over three minutes left and pulled ahead 56-53 with 1:07 remaining. On App State's next possession, James Lewis Jr. was fouled and split a pair of free throws to pull within two points at 56-54. The Black and Gold got a stop on South Alabama's next possession and Almonacy missed a 3-pointer with seven seconds left. Lewis Jr. pulled down the rebound and went back up for a layup, but was blocked with South Alabama grabbing the rebound. The Jaguars gained possession and ran out the clock for the win.
• Trailing 7-6 early, App State went on a 6-0 run to open a 12-7 advantage in the first half. South Alabama jumped in front 20-18 and extended its lead to 28-22. The Mountaineers stormed back with a 9-3 spurt to tie the score at 31-31, before a late basket by the Jaguars gave them a 33-31 edge at the break.
• Forrest finished with a game high 20 points and six rebounds. Lewis Jr. tallied his third double-double of the season and fourth of his career with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Donovan Gregory chipped in with 10 points, four rebounds and three assists.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS

• The Mountaineers enter play with a 12-9 overall record and 6-6 mark in Sun Belt play. 
• Donovan Gregory has reached double figures in seven of his last nine games and is averaging 12.0 points during that stretch.
• James Lewis Jr. has pulled down double digit rebounds in four Sun Belt contests this season and is averaging 7.2 rebounds in conference play.
• App State leads the league in opponent 3-point field goal percentage, holding opponents to 31.8 percent shooting from deep. In addition, the Black and Gold are holding opponents to 62.4 ppg, which ranks second in the Sun Belt and 17th in the nation.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS

• Georgia State has won three straight after defeating Troy 65-53 on Saturday. The Panthers stand at 11-5 overall on the season and 5-4 in Sun Belt play. Georgia State is 8-1 at home this season.
• Jalen Thomas tallied 16 points and five rebounds, while Corey Allen also had 16 points and five rebounds. Justin Roberts added 13 points and nine assists in the win.
• Eliel Nsoseme is one of three players in the Sun Belt averaging double figures in rebounding and ranks third at 10.0 rpg.
• As a team, Georgia State leads the conference in field goal percentage (47.5 percent) and assists (16.6 apg) and sits second in scoring average (80.5).

UP NEXT
App State will conclude the regular season at Georgia Southern on Friday and Saturday. Tip is set for 6 p.m. on Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday on ESPN+ and the Appalachian Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.