BOONE, N.C. – The App State men's basketball team fell 70-63 to the Georgia State Panthers at the Holmes Center on Saturday. App State couldn't overcome a three-point halftime deficit and saw its season-long four-game winning streak end on its home floor.
The Mountaineers' (8-6, 1-1 SBC) offense struggled to find consistency against the Panthers (3-10, 1-1 SBC), as they shot just 38.9 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from 3-point land. Georgia State took advantage of App State's cold offense, shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 33 percent from behind the arc.
Free throws played a huge role in deciding the game as App State missed 10 freebies on 24 attempts, while Georgia State shot 75 percent (15-20) from the charity stripe. The Panthers shot 14-18 from the free-throw line in the second half compared to App State's 10-16 clip. This proved vital late, as Georgia State made nine of their final 11 free throws in the game, which helped seal the game as the Mountaineers tried to fight back.
How it Happened
The Panthers netted the game's first points on Saturday, and eventually went up by three points after Jelani Hamilton, who scored a game-high 24 points, hit on his first 3-pointer of the game. App State stormed ahead before the first media timeout, thanks to
Alonzo Dodd scoring five straight points, before
Kasen Jennings got into the paint for a layup to make the score 9-5 App State by the 14:21 mark.
A 3-pointer by
Michael Marcus Jr. answered a Georgia State 3-pointer to put App State back on top by four points.
Chad Moodie extended the Mountaineers' lead to six, their largest advantage of the game, with a layup off a dish by Dodd. Georgia State reclaimed the lead at 18-14 after going on a 10-0 run into the under-eight timeout, but free throws by Jennings helped App State make it a two-point deficit with 7:36 to play in the first half.
Another 3-pointer by Hamilton extended the Panthers' lead back to four points, and their lead eventually swelled back up to five after Hamilton connected on one of two free throws. Needing a run to close the gap, Moodie, Jennings and Dodd netted seven of the game's next nine points to tie the score at 26 as play hit the under-four media timeout.
Georgia State raced out of the timeout by scoring five straight points, but
Luke Wilson found the basket with a dunk to make it a three-point game with 1:01 left in the opening half. Neither team scored for the final 60 seconds of the opening half, and Georgia State took a 31-28 lead into the halftime locker room.
Jennings and Dodd paced App State's offensive attack in the opening half, combining for 17 points on 6-12 shooting. Wilson provided a nice boost to App State's offense as well, tallying four points and six rebounds. But Georgia State took a lead into the break by shooting 42 percent from behind the arc on 14 attempts.
The Panthers continued their strong play into the early portion of the second half, scoring eight of the second half's first 10 points to go up by nine with 18:08 to play in the game. Georgia State maintained that advantage into the media timeout as Hamilton forced his way into the paint for a score plus the foul.
App State worked to trim into its deficit over the next few possessions, as Wilson Dodd and
Eren Banks netted baskets to make it a four-point game with just under 13 minutes to play. But Georgia State responded to App State's flurry by calmly hitting on two straight baskets to go back up by eight by the under-12 timeout.
Jason Clarke Jr. nailed a big three out of the timeout to cut the Panthers' lead back down to five, but as they did all game, the Panthers responded well and went back up nine with 7:50 to play in the second half.
The Mountaineers quickly worked to cut into Georgia State's deficit thanks to scores by Moodie and Dodd, before Marcus Jr. sent action to the final media timeout of the game with a free throw. But Georgia State answered another App State run by going up double digits for the first time after Micah Tucker and Hamilton got into the lane for scores.
Free throws by Tucker with 1:04 on the clock pushed Georgia State's lead up to 11, its largest advantage of the contest. The Mountaineers saw buckets fall by Dodd and Banks to keep them alive, but Georgia State's strong free-throw shooting helped it seal a road win in Boone on Saturday.
Top Performers
Dodd led the Mountaineers on offense with 19 points, his third straight game scoring at least 19 points. He was also efficient against the Panthers, shooting 7-13 from the field and 3-7 from 3-point land. Wilson posted his fourth double-double in his last five outings with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while also helping several Georgia State players get into foul trouble by drawing a team-best eight fouls. Jennings was the third Mountaineer to record a double-digit point game, as he scored 10 points and hauled in two rebounds.
Up Next
App State will embark on its first conference road trip of the season after taking an 11-day break for the holidays by traveling to Old Dominion for a Dec. 31 clash with the Monarchs in Norfolk, Va. Tip off from Chartway Arena is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
