HANOVER, N.H. – In the team's first game in the state of New Hampshire in program history, the App State men's basketball team rode a strong showing on offense to an 85-77 road victory over the Dartmouth Big Green on Sunday. App State's 85 points scored against the Big Green marked the first time it has scored 80 or more points on the road since Feb. 22, 2024, at Old Dominion.
The Mountaineers (3-2) posted their best shooting effort of the season in their win over Dartmouth (0-3) as they buried 52.5 percent of their shots. Although they made just six 3-pointers in the game, the Mountaineers' ability to get into the lane was crucial as they scored 50 of their 85 points in the lane.
It was a back-and-forth game for much of the contest, but App State was able to take control late with a 15-6 run to go up by a game-high 14 after Dartmouth pulled within five at the 8:17 mark of the second half. App State had multiple runs of at least 10 points in the game, as it tallied a 13-0 scoring run in the first half and an 11-0 run in the early stages of the second half.
App State saw great outings from
Kasen Jennings,
Eren Banks,
Alonzo Dodd and
Luke Wilson, as all four players finished with at least 13 points. The Mountaineers hadn't seen four players each eclipse at least 13 points in the same game since Feb. 8, 2024, against Toledo. Jennings led the charge with a game-best 21 points, his third 20-point game of the young season, while both Banks and Dodd tallied a season-best 16 points.
How it Happened
Wilson won the jump ball in the Mountaineers' first meeting with Dartmouth and went down to score the game's first points on a layup just 23 seconds into the game. The Big Green buried the first of their 13 3-pointers on the other end of the floor, but Jennings responded with his first basket off an offensive rebound to put the Mountaineers back on top.
Another Dartmouth three found the net a possession later, but it was Jennings who again responded with a three of his own to mark the third lead change in the first two minutes. The Big Green scored again to make it 8-7, before Banks' layup in the paint gave App State its lead back by the first media break of the game.
The fourth Dartmouth 3-pointer of the game fell through to put it back up by three, and then another one fell a possession later to give the Big Green their largest lead of the game at six with 14:19 to go in the first half. Needing an answer, the Mountaineers turned to Dodd, who got into the lane for a floater to cut the Dartmouth lead down to four.
Dodd's driving layup marked the start of a 20-3 App State run that saw quick scores and strong defense.
Jalen Tot got into the scoring column for the first time by sinking a trey from the right wing in transition, and
Jason Clarke Jr. put App State back on top by one with a running layup.
Wilson converted on an and-1 chance to push the Mountaineers ahead four with 12:23 to go, and Clarke Jr. followed with a strong basket plus a foul to make it 24-17. Dartmouth scored its first points in almost four minutes to stop the App State spurt, but it was short-lived as Dodd and Banks found their way into the paint for easy scores.
App State quickly went up by 13 points thanks to another basket by Banks and a 3-pointer by Tot from the corner. It was the Mountaineers' largest lead of the half. Dartmouth began to claw its way back by scoring five straight points, but
Andrin Njock made a layup off a pass by Banks to keep the App State lead at nine with 4:30 to play.
Seeing their lead creep down to just seven with three minutes to go in the half, App State again found Dodd, who soared into the paint for a layup to make the score 39-31 as play neared halftime. The Big Green tallied a few scores at the free-throw line to trim their deficit down to just four with 62 seconds to play, but Clarke Jr. knifed his way to the hoop for a basket to make it a six-point game.
Dartmouth scored the final two points of the half, but it was App State who carried a four-point lead into the locker room. The Mountaineers shot 56.7 percent from the field in the opening half, while their 41 points scored marked their most in a half against a Division I opponent this season.
A 3-pointer and a pair of free throws helped give the Big Green their first lead since the 13:25 mark of the first half just 93 seconds into the second half, but Jennings didn't let that stand for long as he hit a three from the right corner to push App State ahead 44-42 at the 18:11 mark.
Jennings' three helped jolt App State over the next two minutes, as Njock paired a score with five straight points from Jennings to shoot the Mountaineers ahead by eight, forcing a Dartmouth timeout with 16:49 to play in the game.
Banks found his way into the paint after the stoppage to make it a 10-point game, but Dartmouth responded by tallying 12 of the next 14 points to tie the score at 54 by the under-12 media timeout.
A pair of Dodd free throws and three straight points from Wilson pushed the Mountaineers back ahead by five just three possessions after the media break. Banks made it a seven-point game with a layup to give him a new season-high points tally, but Dartmouth scored again to make it a five-point game as play hit the under-eight stoppage.
App State quickly went ahead by double digits again at the 6:39 mark of the second half, thanks to buckets by Dodd and Banks. The Big Green brought their deficit back down to nine a few minutes later, but Jennings pushed App State's lead to a game-best 14 points by the 3:36 mark to all but seal a road victory for the Mountaineers.
The Big Green got within six points with 36 seconds to go in the game, but App State's strong free-throw shooting helped it close out a seven-point road win.
Top Performers
In a game full of strong performances on App State's side, Jennings led the charge by scoring 21 points on 8-14 shooting. Jennings helped the Mountaineers settle into the game early before helping close out the game with seven points in the final four minutes. Both Dodd and Banks finished with a season-best 16 points against the Big Green, and both were active all over the court, combining for 13 rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Wilson fell one point short of his career high on Sunday with 13 points. The big man also added six rebounds and blocked a team-best three shots, the first three-block game by a Mountaineer this season.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will kick off a short two-game homestand by welcoming the Charlotte 49ers to Boone for a Friday night showdown at the Holmes Center. Friday's game will be the first of a four-game series between the two teams. Tip off from the Holmes Center is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
