GREENVILLE, N.C. – In the first meeting between the App State men's basketball team and the ECU Pirates since 2019, the Mountaineers jumped out to an 11-0 lead through the first five minutes of the game, and held firm despite a second-half comeback attempt to post a wire-to-wire 67-54 road win in Greenville on Thursday. App State saw its 16-point halftime lead shrink to one point with 7:19 to play in regulation, but a clutch 12-0 run in the final minutes helped close out a double-digit win.
The Mountaineers' (6-5) defense was the story on Thursday as they held the Pirates (3-7) to just 54 points, the fewest the Mountaineers have allowed to a Division I opponent this season. App State forced tough looks after tough looks in the game, keeping ECU to a 35.5 percent field-goal percentage and a 4-20 clip from 3-point land.
App State attacked the paint with a purpose, tallying 40 points in the paint compared to ECU's 28. When the Pirates made their run in the second half to pull within one point, the Mountaineers turned to their prowess at scoring close to the basket, as all but two points (a pair of free throws by
Jason Clarke Jr.) came in the lane during their 12-0 run to close the game.
Kasen Jennings,
Alonzo Dodd and
Luke Wilson each provided major contributions in the win on Thursday, as the trio combined for 51 points. Jennings paced the Mountaineers with 20 points, his fourth 20-point game of the season, and Dodd provided his best game of the season with a season-best 17 points. Wilson was all over the floor on both sides of the ball, posting his second straight double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The redshirt sophomore was a force on the offensive glass, grabbing seven offensive rebounds while also blocking a career-best four shots on defense.
How it Happened
After a nearly 90-second scoring drought by both sides to open the contest, Jennings broke the stalemate at the free-throw line by making all three free throws after getting fouled on a 3-point attempt.
Michael Marcus Jr. made App State's first field goal of the game before Dodd raced down the floor off an ECU miss to make the score 7-0 by the 16:36 mark of the first half.
Wilson and Dodd capped off an 11-0 Mountaineer run to open the game before the Pirates got on the scoreboard for the first time. ECU hit on its first three of the game a few possessions later, but Dodd again found the lane and laid home a basket to give the Mountaineers an eight-point lead at the under-12 timeout.
The Mountaineers saw their lead swell back above double-digits by the 10:56 mark of the first half after Clarke Jr. raced into the paint for an and-one chance. App State's advantage quickly grew to 15 points with just over five minutes to play after both Dodd and Jennings nailed threes, which were App State's first 3-pointers of the game to that point.
ECU trimmed App State's lead to 13 out of the final media timeout of the first half, but a tough bucket by Wilson and a three by Jennings put App State ahead by 18 points, its largest advantage of the half and the game. Despite seeing the Pirates score four points in a row, Dodd ended a strong first half with a basket to give the Mountaineers a 33-17 lead at the break.
Both Jennings and Dodd eclipsed double figures in the first half in Greenville, as both totaled 11 points. Where App State thrived was defensively, as it held ECU to just seven made first-half field goals on 31 attempts. App State's 17 first-half points allowed marked the fewest it has given up in a half this season.
The Pirates came out firing early in the second half and trimmed their once 16-point deficit down to just eight by the first media timeout. App State's eight-point lead shrank to just four at the 13:57 mark, but the third 3-pointer of the game from Jennings quieted the ECU crowd, putting App State back ahead by seven with 14 minutes to play.
Clarke Jr. made it a nine-point game with a layup before Jennings and Dodd pushed the Mountaineers back ahead by 11 by the under-12 timeout. But ECU wasn't fazed and continued its strong second-half start, cutting the deficit back down to five with just over 10 minutes to play in the game.
App State's lead went down to just three points after an ECU basket before another bucket a few possessions later made it a one-point game at 51-50. App State ended the burst by scoring four straight points, a layup by Wilson and Dodd, which made the score 55-50, but ECU sent the game to the final minutes with a basket to make it a three-point game in clutch time.
Needing a spark to close out the game,
Eren Banks jump-started a 12-0 Mountaineer run from the 3:27 mark to the 1:15 mark of regulation. Dodd helped make it a seven-point game with his 17th point of the game, and Wilson's hustle off a missed free throw paid off in a huge layup to make it a nine-point game with 2:41 to play.
Wilson was the beneficiary of a slick find from Dodd a possession later that helped the Mountaineers reclaim a double-digit lead with two minutes to play. Clarke Jr. drilled a pair of freebies, and then Wilson provided the exclamation mark with a two-handed dunk to close out a strong road win for App State over the Pirates.
Top Performers
Three Mountaineers reached double figures on Thursday in Jennings, Wilson and Dodd. Jennings totaled a team-best 20 points, his first 20-point game since Nov. 16 against Dartmouth, and helped settle App State early in the second half with his veteran leadership. Dodd's season-best night was highlighted by his strong first half as 11 of his 17 points came in the opening frame. The St. Paul, Minn., native also grabbed seven rebounds, matching his season high. Wilson was a difference-maker on both sides of the floor, totaling 14 points, 10 rebounds and a career-best four blocks. Wilson was responsible for eight of App State's 13 second-chance points.
Up Next
App State will host High Point in the second installment of the Hickory Hoops Classic on Sunday. The game, which will be played at Lenoir-Rhyne's Shuford Memorial Arena, will tip off at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
