MACON, Ga. – After taking a 13-point lead with just under three minutes left to play in the first half, the App State men's basketball team had all the momentum as the game neared the halftime break. But the Mercer Bears found a spark despite seeing their largest deficit of the game and scored the final 10 points of the half to make it a three-point game at the half. This run carried into the second half, which saw Mercer outscore the Mountaineers by 11 points, helping it take a late lead and close out a 75-67 win on its home floor on Wednesday.
App State (4-4) struggled to find its 3-point shot on Wednesday, as it shot 4-21 (19 percent) from deep against the Bears (4-2). App State's four made threes mark the fewest it has made in a game since making just two against Arkansas State last January. Mercer responded by nailing 11 3-pointers on 28 attempts.
The Mountaineers were physical in the paint against the Bears, scoring 44 points in the lane compared to Mercer's 22. App State made it a point of emphasis to get into the lane against Mercer after scoring just 16 paint points on Monday against Elon. Additionally, the Mountaineers tallied 13 offensive rebounds, their most since grabbing a season-best 18 against Carolina University on Nov. 5.
How it Happened
Luke Wilson got things started in Macon on Wednesday by hitting a hook shot in the paint for his first of 10 points in the game. Mercer notched its first points of the game with a three, but
Eren Banks,
Kasen Jennings and
Alonzo Dodd helped give App State an early 8-3 lead by getting to the basket for easy scores.
App State saw a basket by Mercer fall to make it a three-point game, but
Chad Moodie, who came off the bench for the first time this season, showcased energy in the early stages of the game by throwing down two big dunks in a row to push the Mountaineers ahead by seven by the 12:57 mark. Moodie then hit on a free throw a few possessions later to make it an eight-point App State advantage as play hit the under-12 timeout.
Continuing to play well to open the game, the Mountaineers ballooned their advantage to 10 points thanks to a Dodd basket and a
Jason Clarke Jr. layup. Mercer hit on a three to end the brief App State run, but
Andrin Njock answered with a layup to make the score 19-10 with 8:27 to go in the first half.
Banks got into the paint out of a media break for a layup to push the Mountaineers back ahead by double digits before Jennings and Dodd helped give App State a 12-point lead by the 3:30 mark. The Bears cut their deficit back down to 10 with a floater, but Jennings' first three of the game gave App State its largest lead of the game at 13 with 2:40 until halftime.
Despite their struggles through the first 18 minutes of play, the Bears found their rhythm to close the opening half, embarking on a 10-0 run into halftime. This cut App State's double-digit lead down to just three points over just two minutes of play. When the horn sounded, the Mountaineers maintained a 29-26 lead.
The Mountaineers shot it well in the first half, recording a 46.4 percent clip from the field, with 20 of their 29 points coming in the paint. Jennings led App State with six first-half points, while Moodie matched his season high with five in just seven minutes. Mercer started the game by missing 20 of its first 26 shots, but ended the half by making four of five shots to send the action to the second half in tight fashion.
Mercer raced into the second half the same way they ended the first half by making a basket to cut the App State lead down to one just 54 seconds into the frame. Wilson made it a three-point game by taking a nice find by Njock to the rim for a dunk, but the Bears tied the game at 31 a possession later.
With the score tied for the first time since it was 0-0, App State responded by scoring the next five points, using a three by Jennings and a fastbreak layup by Dodd to jump back ahead. The Mountaineers quickly soared back ahead by seven points after
Michael Marcus Jr. laid one in and Jennings knocked down a pair of free throws.
Seeing the momentum turn in favor of App State once again, Mercer went to work and scored the next eight points to take its first lead since the score was 3-2 in the first half. Njock's hustle on the offensive glass helped put the Mountaineers back ahead, but Mercer scored again to carry a one-point lead into the under-12 timeout.
Needing a run of their own, the Mountaineers got baskets from Wilson and Clarke Jr. over the next three possessions and seesawed back in front by five at the 10:14 mark of the second half. App State kept its distance over the next few minutes, but the Bears went into the under-eight media break by scoring five points in a row to take a one-point lead.
A layup by the Bears put them up by three points before Jennings tied the score at 57 with 5:32 to play in the game. Mercer responded by going on an 8-1 run over the next two minutes to seize the momentum and go ahead by seven with 3:31 to go.
Mercer eventually went ahead by nine points – its largest lead of the contest – with just under 90 seconds to play. The Mountaineers saw a 3-pointer by
Jalen Tot fall and got baskets apiece from Banks and Dodd, but Mercer's strong free-throw shooting helped it secure a come-from-behind victory on its home floor.
Top Performers
After seeing his six-game double-digit point streak come to an end on Monday, Jennings got right back to it on Wednesday, scoring a team-best 16 points. The graduate guard impacted the game in several facets as he dished out a team-high four assists while recording two steals. Dodd joined Jennings in double figures by posting 11 on 5-11 shooting, while pulling down six rebounds and recording two assists. Dodd was active early on as he scored six of his 11 points in the first half. Wilson also finished in double figures against the Bears with 10, his third game scoring in double figures this season. The big man was solid down low defensively as well, swatting three shots, his second consecutive game with three blocked shots.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will trek to Asheville for a neutral-site bout with the UNC Asheville Bulldogs on Sunday. Sunday's contest, which was initially scheduled for last season but was postponed due to Hurricane Helene, will mark the second straight neutral-site game between UNC Asheville and App State (the two teams played in Hickory in 2023). Tip off from Harrah's Cherokee Center is set for 1:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
