BOONE, N.C. – On the heels of posting its first win on Wednesday, the App State men's basketball team led from the opening tip to the final buzzer, dominating the North Carolina Central Eagles to post a 76-54 win at the Holmes Center on Sunday. App State led for 38:46 of play and jumped ahead by as many as 32 points in the game.
The Mountaineers' (2-1) defense shined bright on Sunday, as they held the Eagles (0-3) to 30 percent from the field (15-50) and just six 3-pointers. App State jumped out to a 20-point lead at halftime thanks to a stellar defensive showing in the first 20 minutes, holding N.C. Central to just five made field goals on 23 attempts.
App State spread the wealth on Sunday as nine different players scored a basket in the game. The Mountaineers were led by a career-best day from
Kasen Jennings, who tallied 22 points to lead all scorers. Jennings set his previous career high against Central Michigan on Monday, but bested that with another strong showing. Along with Jennings,
Andrin Njock was very good in his minutes as he netted a career-high 11 points on 4-4 shooting. Njock provided three highlight-reel dunks against the Eagles, while also being strong on the glass with seven rebounds.
As has been the trend on the young season, App State's effort and physicality were on full display, as it attempted 29 free throws and won the rebound battle by 12 (41-29). The Mountaineers saw four players grab at least seven rebounds in
Michael Marcus Jr.,
Luke Wilson,
Chad Moodie and Njock, and all but two players attempted at least one free throw. As of Sunday's game, the Mountaineers are outshooting their opponents at the line by 38 (84-46).
How it Happened
Capping its brief two-game homestand, App State started hot thanks to a 3-pointer by
Eren Banks a little over a minute into play. The Eagles responded with a score, but a free throw by Wilson and a three by Jennings quickly put App State on top by five by the 17:20 mark of the first half.
Jennings continued his torrid start by driving into the paint for a layup off an assist by
Alonzo Dodd, before a Dodd 3-pointer made it a seven-point contest by the first media timeout.
Jalen Tot sunk a three out of the break to push the Mountaineers ahead 10, and a hard flush by Njock through contact made it an 11-point Mountaineer advantage with just under 10 minutes to play.
Not relenting, App State doubled up N.C. Central thanks to a Wilson tip-in layup to force an Eagle timeout. The Mountaineers kept their aggression up and scored each of their next three points from the line to go up by 15 with six minutes to play in the half.
N.C. Central got a pair of free throws to fall to stop the App State onslaught briefly, but Moodie and Wilson helped give the Mountaineers their 15-point lead back before the last media timeout of the opening half. Out of the timeout, the Mountaineer defense kept up its high level of play and didn't allow the Eagles to score a point for the final three and a half minutes.
App State closed the half on a 7-0 run to take a 20-point lead, its largest of the game to that point. The Mountaineers did much of this damage from the free-throw line as Jennings, Dodd and
Michael Marcus Jr. buried a pair of free throws to extend the Mountaineer lead without time coming off the clock.
Free throws played a major role in App State's dominant opening half as it shot 22 freebies in the first 20 minutes. The Mountaineers were led by Jennings, who scored 11 of his game-high 22 in the first half. The Mountaineer defense didn't allow a single Eagle to score more than three points in the opening frame, while also keeping N.C. Central to 21.7 percent from the floor and 10 percent from 3-point land.
The Mountaineers used the momentum generated by the 7-0 run to end the half and extended it to a 15-3 run to open the second half. Jennings and Wilson each accounted for buckets to open the half, all coming in the paint.
Jason Clarke Jr. recorded his first points of the game at the 14:15 mark of the second half, which helped push App State ahead by 28. After an N.C. Central free throw, Njock and Clarke Jr. sprang App State ahead by 30 by the under-12 timeout with buckets. Njock threw down one of three second-half dunks and pumped his fist in exclamation afterward as App State controlled the game.
Njock's free throws out of the timeout gave App State a 32-point lead at the 11:40 mark, marking the largest advantage App State held in the game. N.C. Central tallied two straight threes to close the gap, but Tot ended the brief run with a layup to push the Mountaineers back ahead by 28 with 10 minutes to go.
N.C. Central mounted a small run to pull within 23 by the 8:38 mark, but Jennings halted all momentum by scoring two more layups to give him 19 and push App State back ahead by 25 by the under-eight timeout. The Eagles closed the gap down below 20 thanks to a pair of baskets, but Banks quieted the storm with a 3-point basket, his second of the game.
A Jennings 3-point shot sent him over his career-high mark with 4:04 to go in the game, and an Njock second-chance dunk off a sweet dish by Jennings made it 72-50 with three minutes to go. Dodd and Njock helped cap off the scoring for App State and secured a convincing 22-point victory for it on its home floor.
Top Performers
On top of Jennings' career-high 22 points, he also showed his versatility as he tallied four assists, tied with Dodd for the team lead, three steals and two rebounds. Jennings was lights out at the free-throw line, shooting 6-7. Njock joined Jennings in double figures, tallying 11 points, and provided several highlight moments as he slammed down three dunks. Both Banks and Dodd finished just shy of double figures with eight, but the two were active in other areas as Dodd totaled four assists and Banks grabbed three rebounds. Nine of the 10 Mountaineers who played on Sunday scored at least three points.
Up Next
App State will next head to Columbus, Ohio, for a meeting with B1G foe Ohio State on Tuesday. It will mark the second straight season that App State will take on a B1G opponent. Tip off from Value City Arena is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on B1G Network Plus.
