NORFOLK, Va. – App State Men's Basketball's final contest of 2025 saw it open up a double-digit lead early in the first half, which helped lead to a convincing 81-73 road Sun Belt win over the Old Dominion Monarchs on New Year's Eve at Chartway Arena. The Mountaineers scored the game's first points and never looked back as they led for 38 minutes in the game, marking their fifth wire-to-wire win this season.
App State (9-6, 2-1 SBC) was dominant down low against Old Dominion (4-11, 1-2 SBC), posting 46 points in the paint and 20 second-chance points on 13 offensive rebounds. The Mountaineers won the rebound battle by 15 (43-28), and outhustled the Monarchs to several loose balls, specifically in the first half, as 12 of the 20 second-chance points came in the second half.
The Mountaineers' second unit provided a huge spark in the win on Wednesday, as they got 23 points from the bench, marking their most since tallying 77 against Virginia-Lynchburg back on Dec. 3.
Jalen Tot provided a season-best 16 points off the bench, drilling four 3-pointers, while
Chad Moodie and
Jason Clarke Jr. combined for seven.
Five different players found double figures in the points column against the Monarchs in Tot,
Luke Wilson,
Alonzo Dodd,
Kasen Jennings, and
Michael Marcus Jr. Marcus Jr. provided a big game in his career-best 32 minutes as he recorded a career-best 20 points and 10 rebounds, giving him his second double-double of the season. The Indian Trail, N.C., native was especially strong in the second half as 18 of 20 points came in the final frame.
How it Happened
Dodd tallied the game's first points at Chartway Arena with a driving layup before ODU answered with its first score a possession later. App State quickly broke out to a seven-point lead after Wilson connected on a pair of free throws and Jennings nailed a three from the left wing after Marcus Jr. corralled a loose ball.
App State's lead swelled to seven thanks to an
Eren Banks reverse layup, but the Monarchs ended the Mountaineers' 7-0 run with their first of 10 3-pointers in the game. App State quickly responded by scoring six of the next eight points to go back up by eight after Moodie powered a home a dunk through contact.
Another layup by Moodie sent App State ahead by double-digits before Jordan Battle hit on a three at the 10:12 mark to make the score 17-10. But App State shot ahead by 12 thanks to a layup by
Jason Clarke Jr., a layup by Marcus Jr. and a powerful dunk by Wilson off a slick find by Dodd.
Continuing their torrid start, the Mountaineers ran their lead up to 17 points by the final media timeout of the second half. Dodd, Jennings and Tot each scored during App State's extended 13-3 run, before another 3-pointer by Tot hit nothing but the net, which soared App State ahead by 20 with 3:13 to go in the opening half.
A free throw by
Luke Wilson put the Mountaineers up by 21 points before ODU finally found another score to drop. App State got another three from Tot, his third of the half, but the Monarchs closed their deficit down to 18 as halftime came in Norfolk.
Tot led all scorers in the opening 20 minutes with nine points, with both Wilson and Jennings following closely behind with seven. App State's defense was suffocating in the first half as it held Old Dominion to just six made field goals on 23 attempts. The Mountaineers shot 50 percent from the field on the offensive end, which propelled them to a strong start to open their Sun Belt road opener.
The Mountaineers' hot start continued into the second half as they went ahead by 20 points again at the 16:28 mark of the second half. Banks, Wilson and Marcus Jr. played catalyst during this spurt, as each tallied scores.
ODU worked to trim into App State's lead before the under-12 timeout, and did so, as App State's lead shrank to 15 points after the Monarchs buried a three and got a layup by Caelum Swanton-Rodger. But the Mountaineers rebounded well and pushed back ahead by 19 after Banks connected on a running jumper at the 10:31 mark.
After a layup by Ketron Shaw cut ODU's deficit down to just 14, Tot, Marcus Jr. and Dodd didn't let it get closer than that as buckets from the trio gave the Mountaineers a 20-point lead for the second time in the second half. That lead grew to 22 points, App State's largest lead of the game, with just under five minutes to play as Marcus Jr. hit a layup through contact and made the and-1 free throw.
App State maintained its large lead as play hit the under-four media timeout, but ODU went on a quick run to make things interesting late. The Monarchs would cut their deficit down to eight points with 10 seconds left in regulation, but free throws by Dodd and Marcus Jr. sealed a commanding win for App State to open its conference road schedule.
Top Performers
App State saw five players reach double figures against the Monarchs, but none scored more than Marcus Jr., who totaled a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double. Marcus Jr., who set his previous career high against Virginia-Lynchburg on Dec. 3 with 19 points, went 7-8 from the field and 6-7 from the free-throw line, while also grabbing four offensive rebounds. Tot posted his career high against the Monarchs as well, setting the tone early with three first-half 3-pointers before closing strong with seven second-half points. Jennings, Dodd and Wilson each recorded 10 points, with Dodd leading the team in assists with a season-best seven.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will open 2026 with a road matchup at Marshall on Saturday. Tip off from the Cam Henderson Center is scheduled for 4 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
