BOONE, N.C. – After digging itself a hole and falling behind by 19 points at halftime, the App State men's basketball team's second-half comeback attempt fell just short after a late steal and a half-court heave by
Alonzo Dodd fell off the mark. App State outscored Old Dominion by 17 points in the second half, but ODU's strong opening half helped it to a 75-73 win in Boone on Saturday.
App State (11-9, 4-4 SBC) struggled to shoot the ball from deep on Saturday, as it made just six 3-pointers on 22 attempts (27.3 percent). On the other end, the Monarchs (6-14, 3-5 SBC) buried 11 threes at a 47.8 percent rate, which helped them stabilize themselves when App State made a handful of second-half runs.
Despite the result,
Alonzo Dodd provided the home crowd with a career game, as the senior guard totaled a career-best 27 points and nine assists. His nine assists marked his season-best and fell one short of his career high of 10. It was Dodd's third straight 20-point game, after he tallied 21 points at Coastal Carolina on Jan. 10 and 23 against James Madison on Thursday.
How it Happened
Old Dominion tallied the game's first points with a Jordan Battle 3-pointer on its first possession of the game. The Monarchs wouldn't relinquish this lead for the rest of the game. App State's first score of the contest came via a layup by
Kasen Jennings before
Luke Wilson eventually tied the score at three with a free throw at the 17:59 mark of the opening half.
After Wilson's score, Old Dominion took advantage of an extended scoring drought by the Mountaineers to go up by six points by the first media timeout. A 3-pointer by Jennings ended the cold spell, and Dodd snuck into the paint for his first points of the game to cut ODU's lead down to three points. But back-to-back buckets by Robert Davis Jr. and LJ Thomas gave the Monarchs an eight-point advantage as play hit the under-12 media break.
Jennings and
Chad Moodie sparked a 4-0 App State run with a layup and an alley-oop dunk, but offense was hard to come by for the Mountaineers after Moodie's score. App State scored just five points over the final 10 minutes of the first half, which allowed Old Dominion to pull ahead by double digits.
Despite baskets by
Eren Banks and Wilson, ODU's 20-5 run after App State cut its deficit down to 16-12 with 10:16 to play, helped the Monarchs to a 19-point halftime lead. The Mountaineers' 17 points at the break marked their fewest scored in a half all season, while the 19-point halftime deficit was the second-largest they have faced this season (21 vs. Elon on Nov. 24).
Needing to adjust quickly, App State scored the first points of the second half after Dodd forced his way into the paint. Dodd's bucket was answered promptly by Davis Jr., who nailed a 3-pointer in the corner to put ODU up by a game-high 20 points. The Mountaineers tried to crawl their way back into the game over the next several possessions, but every App State basket was met with an Old Dominion response, and the Monarchs carried an 18-point lead into the first media timeout of the second half.
Then, App State found a spark. Trailing by 18 points, a dunk by Wilson and a layup by Dodd kick-started what was a 13-0 run that pulled App State to within seven points. Jennings found the paint after Dodd's layup, and
Jalen Tot connected on his first 3-pointer of the game to get there. Old Dominion finally ended the run with a 3-pointer, but App State made it a nine-point game by the under-12 timeout after Jennings hit on a free throw.
Seeing momentum flip to the home team, the Monarchs remained calm and went back ahead by 15 points at the 7:20 mark after embarking on an 11-3 run. App State cut its deficit back down to 10 by the final media timeout of the game thanks to Dodd's driving layup through contact, and another three by Tot made it a seven-point game with 3:25 to play in regulation.
The Monarchs shot their lead back up to 11 with two straight scores, but the Mountaineers responded by scoring six of the next 10 points to make it a six-point game with just over a minute to play. After Old Dominion connected on a free throw to push its lead back to six, Tot drilled a long three from the right corner, and all of a sudden, it was a three-point game with 40 seconds to play.
Still needing some Old Dominion missed free throws to complete the comeback, App State capitalized on a split trip to the line and made it a two-point game with 26 seconds to play after Dodd scored at the rim. Needing to foul, App State fouled Battle, who hit both of his free throws to make the score 74-70 with 15 seconds to go.
On the other end, Jennings hoisted up a three that fell short, and ODU sank the ensuing free throws to push its lead up to five with four seconds to play. In one last gasp, Dodd was fouled on a 3-point attempt and buried all three free throws to cut App State's deficit back to two points with less than a second remaining. After a Monarch timeout, a tipped inbounds pass was stolen by Dodd, but his half-court heave fell off the mark, which secured a road win for Old Dominion in Boone on Saturday.
Top Performers
App State was led offensively by Dodd, who totaled a career-best 27 points on an efficient 10-16 shooting. Dodd had just two points at halftime, but he spearheaded a ferocious comeback attempt with 25 in the final 20 minutes. Jennings posted his fourth straight double-digit point outing with 17 points before fouling out. He also grabbed a career-high eight rebounds, with three coming on the offensive glass. Wilson was the third Mountaineer in double figures, tallying 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
Up Next
App State will continue its four-game homestand by opening its Sun Belt West schedule on Thursday with a visit from the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. App State will play its next five games against teams from Sun Belt West schools. Tip off from the Holmes Center on Thursday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
