TROY, Ala. – A 16-point first half and a 17-point second half led to a 33-point barrage from
Kasen Jennings, which helped the App State men's basketball team rout the Troy Trojans 66-44 at Trojan Arena on Saturday. Jennings' 33 points against Troy marked the first 30-point game by an App State player since Adrian Delph totaled 39 on Nov. 22, 2021, and just the seventh-highest output by a Sun Belt player this season.
Jennings' night got off to a hot start, as he drilled two of his career-best seven 3-pointers within the first four minutes of the game. He then nailed his next two 3-pointers to start the contest 4-4 from deep before wrapping up his electric first half with a buzzer-beating shot from the corner. Once that shot hit the net, everyone knew that Jennings was building a special performance. He went on to score App State's first 11 points in the second half, and then drilled two more 3-pointers late in the game to get to his career-best total of 33 points.
It wasn't just Jennings that helped App State (15-9, 8-4 SBC) down the Sun Belt's leader going into the game. The Mountaineers' defense held Troy (15-8, 8-3 SBC) 41 points below their season scoring average (85.5). The Trojans' 44 points scored against App State's defense marked their lowest scoring game by 15 points (previous low was 59 points against South Alabama on Jan. 3).
Helped by Jennings' seven 3-pointers, App State started and finished hot from behind the arc, as it connected on 13 threes against Troy, falling one short of its season best.
Eren Banks and
Michael Marcus Jr. each buried at least two treys, while
Jalen Tot delivered a dagger late in the game with a deep shot to beat the shot clock after a near turnover. App State has made at least 13 3-pointers in two of its last four contests.
How it Happened
The Mountaineers opened the game's scoring with their first of 13 3-pointers, as Marcus Jr. hit on one from the top of the key. Troy scored its first points a possession later, but Jennings got his night started with his first 3-pointer to push App State ahead by four. Jennings answered a Troy score with his second three of the game, which sent App State ahead by five as play hit the first media timeout.
Troy nailed its first 3-pointer of the game to cut the score down to two points by the 13:21 mark of the second half, before tying the game at 11 a few possessions later. A layup by Dodd and another 3-pointer by Jennings helped give App State a brief one-point lead, but the Trojans responded with four straight points to take a three-point lead with 9:08 to play. This was Troy's largest advantage of the game.
App State answered a Troy three by embarking on a quick 6-0 run to take a three-point lead with just over eight minutes to play, which forced a Trojan timeout. Out of the break, Banks hit on two consecutive threes on back-to-back possessions, and Dodd knifed his way into the lane to push App State ahead by double-digits. Dodd once again went to the paint for a layup, which capped off a 16-0 Mountaineer run that turned a three-point deficit into a 13-point lead.
Another basket by Dodd, which gave him 11 points in the half, sent action to the final media timeout of the first half. Troy nailed a 3-pointer to trim into App State's lead, but Jennings drilled a buzzer-beating shot from the right corner, which capped off an impressive half for App State, and sent it into the locker room with a 12-point lead.
Following the break, Troy did well to cut into its deficit, as it scored nine of the first 11 points in the second half to cut its deficit down to just five with 16:07 to play in the game. Needing a response, the Mountaineers turned to Jennings again, who scored five straight points to balloon the Mountaineers back ahead by 10 by the first media timeout of the second half.
Jennings continued his stellar showing by hitting a free throw before scooping up a loose ball and finishing through contact for an and-1 chance. After he hit the ensuing freebie, Jennings had set a new career high (27 points) and propelled App State ahead by 14 points, its largest lead of the game to that point.
After a Trojan basket cut App State's lead back down to just 12 with 10 minutes to play, Banks and Marcus Jr. poured in 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to shoot the Mountaineers ahead by 17 points with 7:52 to play in regulation. Then, following a deflection that led to an out-of-bounds play with one second on the shot clock, Tot hit a contested three from around 35 feet away to put App State on top by 18 points, delivering the dagger to the home crowd's hearts at Trojan Arena.
Marcus Jr. soared App State ahead by 21 points with 5:35 to play in the game with his second 3-pointer of the game. Troy scored four straight points to get back within 20 points, but the sixth three of the game by Jennings fell, which gave him 30 points and marked App State's first 30-point game in nearly five years.
After a timeout, Jennings capped off his spectacular performance by hitting another 3-pointer from the corner to give him a career-best 33 points. This put App State back ahead by 20 points as the game wound down to its end.
Andrin Njock sank two free throws to close the contest, which gave App State a convincing 22-point road win over Troy. The win was App State's first victory at Troy since 2019.
Top Performers
It's no secret who Saturday's top performer was. Not only did Jennings nearly outscore the entire Trojans' team, but he did it efficiently, as he shot 11-18 from the field and 7-11 from 3-point range. The graduate guard from Atlanta set career highs in both points and 3-pointers made against Troy. Dodd also finished in double figures with 11 points (all coming in the first half), while also flirting with a triple-double with nine assists and seven rebounds. Banks fell just short of a double-digit point game off the bench, but his shooting impacted the game, as he drilled three 3-pointers and dished out two assists.
Up Next
App State will return to the familiar confines of the Holmes Center on Wednesday for a matchup with the South Alabama Jaguars. Wednesday's game is a gold out, and fans are encouraged to wear gold to the game. Additionally, App State will hand out replica gold jerseys at the gates. Tip off against the Jaguars is slated for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
