CONWAY, S.C. - Looking to close out its season-long four-game road trip on a high note, the App State men's basketball team will head to Conway, S.C., for the second and final regular-season matchup with the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Saturday. The Mountaineers will look to post their third straight victory at the HTC Center. Tip off is slated for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Saturday's contest in Conway will mark the 2,600th game in App State program history. The Mountaineers have won 1,361 games in their 106-year history and own a .524 winning percentage.
App State will conclude its longest road trip of the season on Saturday against the Chanticleers, a road trip that spans four games and 10 days. The Mountaineers enter Saturday with a 2-1 record during this road trip. This is App State's eighth time playing at least four road games in a row under Kerns. The Mountaineers will look to post a 3-1 four-game road trip for the third straight year on Saturday (went 3-1 in both 2024-25 and 2023-24).
The Mountaineers enter Saturday's contest at Coastal Carolina with the most conference wins of any other team in the Sun Belt Conference since 2019, boasting 68 wins, which is four clear of the next closest team (South Alabama - 64). Since
Dustin Kerns took over the program before the 2019 season, the Mountaineers have totaled four 10-win seasons in Sun Belt play, which are the most in six years since 2006-12 (also achieved four in those six seasons).
The Matchup
- Who: App State at Coastal Carolina
- Where: HTC Center // Conway, S.C.
- When: Saturday, Jan. 10 // 1 p.m.
Tune In
- Watch: Watch (ESPN+) | Sam Weiderhaft (PxP), Tony Dunkin (Color), Kyle Rush (Sideline)
- Listen: FLAGSHIP 97.3 (North Wilkesboro), 950 AM/92.7 FM (Greensboro), 790 AM/93.7 FM (Johnson City) | Matt Present (PxP)
- Live Stats: appstatesports.com
Last Time Out
With the score tied at 48 with 1:16 to play in regulation, App State had the ball looking to take a late lead. The ball swung around the perimeter before it found
Kasen Jennings in the corner. Jennings calmly stepped into his shot and nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer. The App State Men's Basketball team held its lead until the horn sounded, picking up a grinded-out 52-50 road win over the Georgia State Panthers on Thursday.
The Mountaineers' 52 points in their win marked the fewest they have scored in a victory since Feb. 9, 2023, against ULM (also scored 52 points in a 52-45 win). App State's defense was strong in Atlanta, as it held Georgia State to just a 32.8 field-goal percentage and a 22.2 percent mark from deep. This stellar showing by App State came just four days after Georgia State made 17 3-pointers in a win over Coastal Carolina.
Rebounding, specifically on the offensive end of the floor, played a crucial role in App State's victory over the Panthers, as it won the rebound battle by 16 (49-33). App State's hustle and drive on the offensive glass led to several extra possessions.
Michael Marcus Jr. grabbed eight of his career-best 14 rebounds on offense, which helped lead to 13 second-chance points.
Scouting the Mountaineers
App State enters play on Saturday with a 10-7 record and has won six of its last eight games, which include three by double digits. App State owns a 3-2 record in Sun Belt play, which places it in sole possession of sixth place in the league standings. The Mountaineers are one of six teams with at least three Sun Belt wins entering Saturday, and stand 1.5 games back from the top of the standings.
The Mountaineers will play their ninth road game of the season when action starts against Coastal Carolina on Saturday. App State is 4-5 in road games this season, posting wins over Dartmouth on Nov. 16, ECU on Dec. 11, Old Dominion on Dec. 31 and Georgia State on Jan. 8. App State enters Saturday having won four of its last five games away from home. When App State goes on the road, it relies heavily on its defense to win, as it is allowing 63.5 points a game in its road wins this season, and has kept its opponents to 60 or fewer points eight times on the road since the start of last season, which includes two instances this year (ECU on Dec. 11 and Georgia State on Jan. 8).
The Mountaineers enter Saturday's game as winners of six of their last eight games due largely in part to their strong rebounding, as they have compiled at least 40 rebounds in six of their last eight contests. Entering Saturday, App State is averaging 46 rebounds per game over its last eight games and has outrebounded its opponents in all but one game during this stretch (Georgia State on Dec. 20). Winning the rebound battle has been important if the Mountaineers want to win, as they are 8-1 this season when outrebounding their opponent, with the only loss coming against Marshall on Jan. 3 (won the rebound battle 35-32).
Three players enter Saturday's game at Coastal Carolina averaging at least 10 points in Jennings (14.4),
Alonzo Dodd (11.8) and
Luke Wilson (10.9). Wilson and Dodd have been especially hot over the last eight games, as Dodd is averaging 14.5 points per game, while Wilson is scoring 13.9 points and grabbing 9.9 rebounds a contest since Dec. 3. Additionally, Tot, who made his first start of the season against Georgia State, has scored at least 14 points in two of his last three contests and enters Saturday averaging 13 points per game over his last three games.
Scouting the Chanticleers
Coastal Carolina enters Saturday with an 8-9 record, and has lost each of their last three games to Sun Belt East opponents Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Old Dominion. However, two of the Chanticleers' last three losses have come by four points or fewer (one vs. Georgia Southern and four vs. Old Dominion).
The Chanticleers are one of the best teams in the country at closing out possessions with defensive rebounds, as they enter Saturday ranked fourth in the country in defensive rebounds per game (30.59). Coastal Carolina grabbed 50 total rebounds against Georgia Southern on Jan. 1 and has posted eight games with at least 40 rebounds this season.
Three Chanticleers average at least 14 points per game entering Saturday in RaSheed Jones, Joshua Beadle and AJ Dancler. All three players rank in the top 20 in the Sun Belt in scoring heading into the game against App State.
Series History
The Mountaineers and Chanticleers are set to meet for the second and final time of the regular season on Saturday. The two teams first met in Boone on Dec. 18, which opened both squads' Sun Belt schedule.
App State took home a win over the Chanticleers at the Holmes Center after embarking on a 31-13 run in the second half with the score tied at 36. It was App State's fifth straight win over the Chanticleers.
Saturday's contest will mark the 20th game between the Mountaineers and Chanticleers, with the Mountaineers owning a 15-4 record in the overall series. This includes a 5-3 advantage in games played in Conway.
Next Up
App State will kick off a season-long four-game homestand following Saturday's game by welcoming the James Madison Dukes to the Holmes Center on Thursday. Tip off from Boone is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
