BOONE, N.C. – In its first postseason home game since 2010, App State was edged by a hot-shooting USC Upstate squad 80-74 in the first round of the Basketball Classic presented by Eracism on Tuesday night at the Holmes Convocation Center.
The Mountaineers finished their season with a 19-15 record, the most wins since a 24-13 campaign in 2009-10, and strung together three straight winning seasons for the first time since 1997-2000.
"I want to congratulate our seniors on tremendous careers," head coach
Dustin Kerns said. "It's not the way any of us thought it would end. They are to be commended, and they're going to go and be great representatives of this university – great husbands, fathers, people in the community. They're great young men, and they will always be remembered here."
Adrian Delph scored a game-high 28 points, including a free throw that gave the Mountaineers a 74-72 lead with 1:51 left, but it was five straight USC Upstate free throws and a dagger of a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left that sealed the six-point win for the visiting Spartans (15-16).
USC Upstate shot 45.5 percent from the field (30 of 66) and from beyond the arc (10 of 22), while making 10-of-11 attempts from the free-throw line. Josh Aldrich led the Spartans with 24 points, while Jordan Gainey added 17, Bryson Mozone had 16 and Dalvin White chipped in 15.
Donovan Gregory posted a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double and made 10 of 14 free throws, many of which kept App State within striking distance or gave it the lead in the second half.
The game featured 12 lead changes and 10 ties, including eight lead changes and six ties after halftime when App State attempted to make one of its patented second-half comebacks after trailing 39-30 at the half.
Down 12 with 14:18 left in the game, Delph and Gregory made shot after shot before a
CJ Huntley 3-pointer tied the score at 57-57. From there, it was back and forth the rest of the way with neither team gaining more than a 3-point advantage until the final seconds.
A crowd of 2,146 added to the record Holmes Center season attendance that totaled 42,620.
"Thank you to our fans, administration and students for coming out tonight," Kerns added. "It was a great atmosphere. They really showed up. We're sorry we didn't get the victory, but they're to be commended for having a great crowd here."
