BOONE, N.C. – In the first home game of the 2025-26 season, the App State men's basketball team got out to a 13-0 start over the Carolina University Bruins and ran away with a 92-46 win on its home floor on Wednesday. The Mountaineers led by as many as 56 points and kept the Bruins to just a 29.8 percent mark from the field in the game.
Thirteen players saw the floor for the Mountaineers (1-1), and 12 players scored at least one basket. App State was paced by a career night from
Luke Wilson, who tallied 14 points in just 16 minutes of action. Wilson missed just one of his six shots, while also being active on the defensive side of the ball, swatting two shots. App State saw four players reach double figures in the game, as
Kasen Jennings,
Eren Banks and
Michael Marcus Jr. each eclipsed 10 points.
App State made it an emphasis to score the ball in the paint against the Bruins (1-3) as it scored 52 points near the basket. The Mountaineers totaled just 22 points in the paint in Monday night's season opener, but tonight was a different story as their paint-point number surpassed the total number of points scored by the Bruins.
Defensively, the Mountaineers' 46 points allowed marked the fourth time since the start of last season that they have kept their opponent below the 50-point threshold. App State extended its winning streak to 25 when allowing fewer than 50 points. The Mountaineers were all over the floor defensively, as they recorded 12 steals and 10 blocked shots.
How it Happened
Taking the floor in gold jerseys for the first time in the
Dustin Kerns era, App State outmatched Carolina University from the opening jump as it immediately took a 2-0 lead on a layup by Jennings just 13 seconds into the game.
Alonzo Dodd quickly made a three after a defensive stop, before Jennings got to the rack for another score to make it 7-0 before most fans had found their seats for the game.
Keeping the fast pace up, Banks drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make the score 10-0, and after a shot-clock violation forced by the defense, Jennings hit on another three, pushing App State ahead 13-0 just three minutes into the game. The Bruins finally scored to quiet the pace, but
Chad Moodie and Dodd each netted baskets to push the App State lead to 14 by the first media break.
Dodd got into the lane again out of the break to give him seven quick points, and after a 3-pointer by the Bruins,
Jalen Tot nailed a three from the left wing to notch his first points. Wilson scored the first of his career-high 14 points a possession later, and the Mountaineers led by 18 by the under-12 TV timeout.
After a scoreless 90 seconds after the timeout, Marcus Jr.'s strength helped him convert an and-1 chance to push App State ahead by 21.
Jason Clarke Jr. scored his first points of the game just 17 seconds later, and Banks nailed a three from the top of the key and a dunk on a fastbreak to run the score to 36-10 by the 7:40 mark of the opening half.
Wilson's strength helped him convert on a tough layup plus the foul at the 5:33 mark of the first half. This layup helped spark a personal 6-0 run for the big man, as he tallied two free throws and a powerful dunk to send the Mountaineers ahead by 30 by the final timeout.
App State continued to run away with the game heading into halftime, seeing
Andrin Njock net his first career basket at the 2:24 mark to put the Mountaineers over the 50-point mark in the first 20 minutes. Tot capped off a strong start for App State by hitting a three off an offensive rebound. When the horn sounded, App State led 53-19.
The Mountaineers saw great opening halves from Wilson, Jennings and Banks as all three tallied at least eight points. Wilson paced all scorers with 10 points, while also grabbing three rebounds. As a team, the Mountaineers buried 57 percent of their first-half shots, while keeping the Bruins to just 33 percent from the field.
Continuing the intensity, the Mountaineers got to work and immediately went ahead by 39 points by the 17:19 mark of the second half. The 7-2 run was highlighted by a block by Jennings, which led to a Wilson and-1 layup after a sweet dish from Banks on the fastbreak.
A layup by Banks and a Jennings fastbreak finish helped push App State ahead by 42 at the first media timeout of the second half. The Bruins responded by scoring five straight, but Moodie threw down a big dunk to end the run after taking a nice pass from fellow big man Wilson.
App State reached the 70-point mark for the first time this season thanks to
Jacari Brim's first career points at the 12:19 mark of the second half. After a Carolina basket, Marcus Jr. fought for the offensive board and put home a layup to make the score 72-34 with just under 12 minutes to go in the game.
Joining the party, Marcus Jr. nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to push the Mountaineers ahead by 44 before a pair of Njock freebies gave App State 80 points. Clarke Jr. and Njock each helped push App State ahead by 51 by the six-minute mark, with Clarke Jr. making a driving layup and Njock hitting another pair of free throws.
After Njock's free throw, Coach Kerns emptied his bench, giving
Grant Clayton,
Cameron O'Kelley and
Luke Ledford their first minutes of the season. Clayton capitalized on his chance, scoring his first career basket with six minutes to go.
With the game clock winding down, Njock's layup after an offensive rebound put the Mountaineers on top by 56 points, which was their largest lead of the game. The Bruins tallied the game's final four points, but when the buzzer sounded, App State had picked up its first win of the 2025-26 season in convincing fashion.
Top Performers
Four players recorded double-digit point nights on Wednesday, but none scored more than Wilson, who netted a career-best 14 against the Bruins. Wilson was a force in the paint, as he drew seven fouls that led to seven free-throw attempts. Jennings followed closely behind Wilson with 13 points, while also being efficient in his scoring as he shot 6-9 from the field. Both Banks and Marcus Jr. recorded 10 points in the game, with the two combining to miss just three shots. Dodd showed his ability to pass and score against the Bruins, tallying nine points and dishing out a team-best seven assists, which tied his Mountaineer high.
Up Next
App State is set to continue its two-game homestand on Sunday when it welcomes the North Carolina Central Eagles to the Holmes Center. Sunday's matchup will mark the third meeting in a row in Boone between the Eagles and Mountaineers. Tip off is slated for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
