ASHEVILLE, N.C. – In the third and final game of Feast Week for the App State men's basketball team, a slow start that saw it go down by 17 points just eight minutes into the game helped the UNC Asheville Bulldogs take a 67-55 win at the Harrah's Cherokee Center on Sunday. UNC Asheville led for the entire contest.
Rebounding proved vital in Sunday's loss, as UNC Asheville (3-4) was physical on the glass and outrebounded App State (4-5) by 11 (36-25). The Bulldogs totaled 10 offensive rebounds, which included an 8-1 edge in the first half. Additionally, UNC Asheville got to the free-throw line at a high rate, shooting 27 freebies and burying 22 of them.
App State did see its bench play well against the Bulldogs, as App State's bench outscored UNC Asheville's bench 26-4.
Michael Marcus Jr. led the Mountaineers in scoring off the bench with 13 points – his season high – and
Jalen Tot tallied eight. App State's 26 bench points on Sunday marked the third time in the last four games that the Mountaineers have totaled at least 20 points from their second unit.
How it Happened
The Bulldogs scored the game's first points 59 seconds into the game, but
Luke Wilson responded by flushing down a dunk to make the score 2-2. This would be the final time the score was tied, as UNC Asheville scored the next 17 points to go ahead by 17 with 12:47 to play in the first half.
Marcus Jr. hit on a three to end the run, sending the game to the under-12 timeout, and App State went on a run of its own to cut into UNC Asheville's large lead.
Chad Moodie and Tot helped cut the Bulldogs' advantage down to six with 8:54 to play in the opening frame before
Kasen Jennings made it a two-point game with 5:09 to go.
Seeing their once double-digit lead shrink down to two, UNC Asheville faced the adversity with poise and scored each of the next six points to go back ahead by eight by the under-four media timeout. Jennings cut the lead back down to six before Marcus Jr.'s second 3-pointer ended the half, sending the action to the halftime break with UNC Asheville leading by seven.
Despite struggling to open the game, App State's defense did well to force tough Bulldog looks to close the first half as UNC Asheville shot just 7-20 over the final 12 minutes. The Mountaineers shot 10-22 (45.5 percent) even with their sluggish start and buried four 3-pointers. Marcus Jr., Wilson and Tot paced the App State offense with 20 combined points.
Moodie opened the final half with a bang by hustling for an offensive rebound and laying it back in to make it a five-point game just 20 seconds into the action. The Bulldogs got a pair of free throws to drop before Jennings got into the lane for a floater to make the score 35-30 by the first media timeout.
Alonzo Dodd got into the paint for a layup to make it a four-point contest with 13:43 to go in the game, but the Bulldogs netted each of the next four points to go back up by eight at the halfway point of the second half.
Five straight points from Dodd and a pair of defensive stops helped App State cut its deficit down to just three with 9:56 to go. With momentum back on App State's side, UNC Asheville rebounded well and went on an 8-3 run to propel it ahead by double digits with just under six minutes to go.
UNC Asheville took a nine-point lead into the under-four timeout after Tot hit on a step-back jumper, but strong free-throw shooting down the stretch helped the Bulldogs close out a 12-point victory. The Mountaineers got a three from
Eren Banks and two driving layups from Dodd, but UNC Asheville's 22 free throws in the final half made it difficult for App State to mount a comeback.
Top Performers
Marcus Jr.'s season-best performance paced App State on Sunday, as he scored a team-best 13 points on 5-8 shooting. The sophomore also led the team in rebounding and buried a career-best three 3-pointers. Although he didn't score in the first half and battled foul trouble all game, Dodd finished with 11 points, marking his fourth double-digit point outing in his last five contests. Wilson and Tot fell just shy of double figures, but still impacted the game with nine points and eight points, respectively.
Up Next
App State is set to return to the Holmes Center on Wednesday to host the Virginia-Lynchburg Dragons. It will be App State's final home game of the early portion of its nonconference schedule. Tip off is slated for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
