HARRISONBURG, Va. -- Coming off a thrilling finish against Coastal Carolina, App State men's basketball is set to visit James Madison on Saturday at 8 p.m. in front of a national audience on ESPNU.
This contest features the top two defenses in the Sun Belt, as the Dukes have held their opponents to 39.9% shooting while the Mountaineers have allowed just 40.1% of their opponents' shots to go down.
In addition to the national broadcast, live stats and listening options will be available to follow along.
THE SERIES
- These two teams will meet for the first time as Sun Belt foes.
- This will be the seventh meeting between the two schools in a series that App State leads 4-2.
- The last two matchups went to overtime with each team grabbing a win. James Madison won the last meeting in double overtime, 105-99, on Nov. 22, 2017. The year before, App State won 73-61 (OT) on Dec. 17, 2016.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS (8-8, 1-2 SBC)
- App State bounced back on Thursday, defeating Coastal Carolina 63-62 after dropping its first two SBC matchups against Marshall (53-79) and Southern Miss (70-76). The win was the fifth straight victory against the Chanticleers, thanks to a game-winning put-back by CJ Huntley, who finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
- Tyree Boykin has been the scoring leader since the Black & Gold entered conference play, averaging 16 points per game. He has knocked down 11 3-pointers in the last three games, including a season-high five in the win over Coastal Carolina.
- Donovan Gregory earned his season-high in assists with nine on Thursday, increasing his average to four per game, which is the sixth-highest showing in the conference.
- Christopher Mantis and Justin Abson have earned starting spots after coming off the bench to start the season. Mantis has led the team in scoring five times and Abson has earned the team-high in rebounding three times.
SCOUTING THE DUKES (11-5, 2-1 SBC)
- James Madison leads the nation in scoring with 88 points per game, led by four double-digit scorers, none of which average more than 13.2.
- The Dukes started SBC play with two impressive wins on the road at Georgia State (63-47) and Marshall (72-66) before dropping their first Sun Belt home game to Texas State on Thursday, 62-63.
- In conference play, Mezie Offurum (11.7) and Noah Freidel (11.0) have led the scoring charge, while Alonzo Sule has grabbed a team-high 5.7 rebounds per contest.
- In nonconference action, James Madison finished 9-4, and came within five points of defeating No. 3 Virginia on Dec. 6.
UP NEXT
Next week, the Mountaineers will compete in two home games on Thursday and Saturday as they continue Sun Belt action against Georgia Southern and Troy.
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