HICKORY, N.C. – Down by eight points with just 2:36 left to play, the App State men's basketball team searched for an answer to a strong run by the High Point Panthers. The Mountaineers found that thanks to good free-throw shooting, clutch shots and a game-tying layup by
Kasen Jennings with one second to play. App State went on to outscore High Point by eight in the extra period to post an 86-78 win in the second installment of the Hickory Hoops Classic.
App State's (7-5) overtime win over the Panthers (8-3) marked their sixth straight win in games decided in extra time.
The Mountaineers shot the lights out from 3-point land, burying a season-best 13 3-pointers at a 48 percent clip. App State, which entered the game having shot 40 percent or better from three just once this year (Charlotte on Nov. 21), got five 3-pointers from
Alonzo Dodd and four from
Eren Banks in the contest.
App State's defense was also superb in the win as it held High Point to a season-low 34.7 percent clip from the field. The Panthers entered the game with a 51.5 percent team field-goal percentage, which ranked 19th in the country. App State's stellar defense held its opponent below 40 percent from the field for the third straight game.
Four different Mountaineers eclipsed double figures, highlighted by Dodd's career game as the senior poured in a game-high 25 points. Dodd also recorded seven rebounds and tallied seven assists, which both matched his season high. Jennings also eclipsed 20 points, his second straight 20-point game and fifth of the season, while also hitting a pair of clutch shots late in the second half and overtime.
Luke Wilson posted his third straight double-double with 19 points – his career high – and 10 rebounds. The big man was also stout defensively, swatting four shots, his second straight contest with four blocks.
How it Happened
High Point tallied the game's first points at Lenoir-Rhyne's Shuford Memorial Arena, but the Mountaineers followed with a commanding 16-0 run to take a 16-2 lead. Jennings tallied his first points of the game before Dodd, Banks and
Chad Moodie capitalized on open looks for scores.
The Panthers answered with five of their own to cut their deficit down to nine before the under-12 timeout, and then cut App State's lead to two after Scotty Washington hit a layup. Jennings quieted the storm by nailing a jumper from the short corner, and Dodd made two free throws to make it a four-point game by the 9:10 mark of the opening half.
Wilson broke free for a layup plus a foul to push App State back ahead by five by the under-eight timeout, before Banks drilled his second 3-pointer of the game to run the Mountaineers' advantage up to eight. But in this game of runs, High Point responded by going on a quick 9-0 spurt to take its first lead since the score was 2-0 with 4:49 to play in the first half.
After going down by a game-high four points a few possessions later, Dodd got hot from deep, drilling two threes on back-to-back possessions to give App State its lead back at 32-30. Jennings capped off an 8-0 App State run with a step-back jumper, but High Point ended the half with a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game when the buzzer rang.
Dodd and Jennings each reached double figures in the first half to lead all scorers as App State won the first round of this heavyweight battle. Dodd drilled three of his five treys in the first half, helping the Mountaineers through several late in the shot clock possessions with huge buckets. Jennings recorded 10 first-half points, while also recording three rebounds and an assist.
Dodd continued his strong play from the first half to open the second half by nailing an NBA-range 3-pointer from the top of the key to push App State ahead four 90 seconds into the final frame. The Panthers responded with a 3-pointer on their end, but layups by Jennings and
Michael Marcus Jr. made it a five-point game as High Point called a timeout to calm things down.
Banks drilled his third 3-pointer of the game at the 15:44 mark, giving App State an eight-point lead at the under-16 timeout. The Mountaineers then pushed their lead back to double digits after
Jacari Brim netted his first score of the game at the 12:42 mark.
High Point used another extended run to close the gap down to one point at the halfway mark of the final frame before going ahead by two points after Cam'Ron Fletcher hit on a pair of freebies. Banks' fourth three of the game fell through to mark another lead change, but the Panthers jumped back ahead by five after Owen Aquino made a putback layup with 5:48 to play in regulation.
Another pair of free throws helped push the Panthers to a seven-point lead a minute later, but App State continued to fight and trimmed its deficit back down to four after Wilson fought for a second-chance basket off a missed free throw.
As the final media timeout came and went, High Point pushed on and upped its lead to 68-60, its largest lead of the game, after Conrad Martinez netted a layup. Needing a fast response, Jennings charged the paint and got fouled, resulting in two free throws to make it a six-point game with 2:23 to play.
Two more freebies by Wilson cut it to a four-point game, but High Point ran a great press-break play to get an alley-oop dunk, making the score 70-64 with 73 seconds to play. A free throw by Wilson made it a five-point game, and
Dustin Kerns called a timeout to strategize.
Down five with 35 seconds after the timeout, App State needed a stop and a quick score to stay in the game. It got that after Brim drew an offensive foul on Rob Martin before Banks came back down and hit a floater, putting App State back down by three points. Then, High Point missed two free throws on the other side, and Jennings raced down for a layup to push the score to 70-69 with eight seconds to go.
The Mountaineers fouled Martinez quickly off the inbounds, and he calmly made the first free throw. Kerns called a timeout to ice the 90-percent free-throw shooter, which worked as he missed the second, giving App State a chance to tie with a 2-pointer. Wilson grabbed the defense rebound, dished to Jennings and the graduate guard raced down the floor to draw two High Point players into the air before drilling the close shot. High Point's half-court heave missed, meaning this thrilling game needed overtime to be decided.
Wilson and Dodd helped start App State the right way in the overtime period with a free throw and a layup before High Point got a pair of free throws to make it a one-point game. A pair of free throws by Dodd put App State back ahead by three before Jennings poured in a three from the corner to make it a six-point game with 2:23 to play.
Another basket by Wilson followed a High Point layup, and Dodd made it a six-point game again with four straight free throws, which all but iced the contest. Dodd hit another free throw, his 10th of the game, with six seconds to play, sealing a come-from-behind, thrilling victory for App State in the Hickory Hoops Classic.
Top Performers
Dodd's best game of his career couldn't have come at a better time, as he tallied a career-high 25 points, highlighted by five made 3-pointers and 10 free throws. Dodd also led the team in assists with seven and was +19 in his minutes. Along with hitting the game-tying shot to force overtime, Jennings tallied his second straight 20-point game with 21 points on 8-13 shooting. Wilson tallied his third straight double-double in the win with a career-best 19 points and 10 rebounds. Additionally, Banks posted his best game since Nov. 16 against Dartmouth with 14 points, three rebounds and four assists.
Up Next
App State will open its conference slate on Thursday with a home contest vs. the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at the Holmes Center. Tip off is slated for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
