BOONE, N.C. – On a day when it honored its three seniors before the game, a clutch
Eren Banks 3-pointer with just over a minute to play helped cap off a crucial 13-4 run over the final three minutes, which helped turn just a six-point lead into an 89-74 win for the App State men's basketball team in its home finale. App State closed the game on a 25-14 run over the final seven minutes to clinch its 11th win at the Holmes Center.
App State (19-11, 11-6) now stands in first place in the Sun Belt Conference entering the final week of the regular season, and has a chance to earn at least a share of the Sun Belt regular season title on Friday at Texas State. With only one game left, App State is currently a half-game ahead of three 10-6 teams with two games left (Marshall, South Alabama, Troy), and the Mountaineers are one game ahead of fifth-place Texas State (10-7). The top two seeds start tournament play in the semifinal round of the Sun Belt Championship, while the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds begin tournament play in the quarterfinal round.
After a pair of dunks by Banks and
Kasen Jennings late in the game, the Mountaineers' group of seniors (
Jalen Tot,
Alonzo Dodd and Jennings) were subbed out, which led to a huge ovation from the Holmes Center crowd. All three seniors scored in double figures in the game, while Dodd tallied his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 assists.
Georgia Southern (15-14, 7-9 SBC) threatened to come back in the contest after trailing by seven at halftime by starting the final half on a 22-15 run to tie the score at 55 by the under-12 timeout. But
Luke Wilson helped calm the storm by asserting himself with a pair of dunks and good free-throw shooting. Wilson also posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, which marked his second double-double in his last three games.
App State's bench played one of its best games of the season against the Eagles, as its second unit scored 23 points, the most since Dec. 31. Both Banks and
Chad Moodie played important minutes in the game, with Moodie totaling six key points in the first half when App State was jockeying for position, and Banks totaling 11 second-half points. Eight of Banks' 13 points came in the final five minutes of regulation, which included a clutch 3-pointer as part of a 9-2 run to turn a four-point App State lead into a nine-point lead with 4:29 to play.
How it Happened
Once all the senior festivities concluded, it was Georgia Southern that jumped out to an early lead as its hot shooting helped give it a nine-point lead by the first media timeout. Banks helped quell the Eagle run with a driving layup, but a pair of free throws by Georgia Southern helped give it a seven-point lead with 11:07 to play.
Then, the Mountaineers' defense turned it up, and they sprinted out to a 10-point lead thanks to a 17-0 run. Moodie got the run started with a second-chance basket before baskets by Wilson, Dodd and Jennings helped give App State its first lead of the game at 19-15. Tot then caught fire and went on a personal 8-0 run, capped off by a heat-check 3-pointer from well behind the 3-point line. All of a sudden, the Mountaineers led by 10 with 7:49 to play in the opening half.
The Eagles responded by tallying a 9-0 run to pull back within one point, but App State kept its lead thanks to the fourth 3-pointer of the half by Tot with just over four minutes to play. Jennings helped send play to the final media break with a basket, and Wilson's alley-oop slam gave App State its nine-point lead back out of the break, but Georgia Southern closed the gap down to seven with a floater as play hit halftime.
Tot opened the second half with his fifth 3-pointer of the game to push the Mountaineers back ahead by double-digits just 35 seconds into the final frame. The Eagles responded by drilling two threes and a layup to cut their deficit down to just four by the first media timeout. App State's lead eventually shrank down to two points after a pair of Eagle free throws before a Spudd Webb three tied the score at 55 with 11:58 to play in the game.
Jennings broke the stalemate with a pair of free throws, and Wilson pushed the Mountaineers ahead by five with four straight points. The lead grew to seven after
Michael Marcus Jr. connected on two freebies, but the Eagles buried another 3-pointer to close the gap down to four points with just over seven minutes to go in the contest.
App State found its momentum following Tyren Moore's 3-pointer and stormed out to a double-digit lead over the next few minutes. Four straight points by Jennings and a huge three by Banks bookended a crucial 9-0 App State run that soared it ahead by 10. Georgia Southern ended the fray with a pair of scores to keep it close, but another clutch long ball by Banks pushed App State ahead by 11 with 1:23 to go. After that three fell, the Mountaineers knew they were close to taking home another win.
Banks helped turn a turnover into another basket with a two-handed dunk that put the Mountaineers on top by 11, before Jennings threw one down himself to secure the win with 28 seconds to play. After Jennings' dunk, head coach
Dustin Kerns emptied his bench, which allowed the Holmes Center crowd a chance to embrace the seniors. When the horn sounded, the Mountaineers claimed a momentous 15-point victory.
Top Performers
Wilson led the Mountaineers' offensive attack against the Eagles with a team-best 19 points on a perfect 6-6 mark from the field. Wilson was especially strong in the second half as 14 of his points came in the final 20 minutes. Tot was dynamite in his final home game as a Mountaineer with 17 points on five 3-pointers. Tot averaged 18 points over his final two home games at App State. Jennings also went out with a bang with 16 points, while Dodd closed his career at the Holmes Center with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Up Next
App State will wrap up the regular season on the road with a matchup against Texas State on Friday in San Marcos. Friday's contest will be Texas State's final regular-season game as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. Tipoff from Strahan Arena is slated for 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT), and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
