SAN MARCOS, Texas – Leading by one with just under two minutes to play, the App State men's basketball team looked for one last stop to try and secure a win and a Sun Belt regular-season championship. But Texas State and Mark Drone buried a tough jumper from the right elbow to take the lead, which helped Texas State take home a crucial 60-57 win on its home floor.
The Mountaineers (19-12, 11-7 SBC) generated a wide-open look to try and take the lead with two seconds to play in regulation, but a corner 3-pointer from
Eren Banks wouldn't fall. Texas State (19-12, 11-7 SBC) grabbed the board and secured the victory at the other end with a pair of free throws.
With the loss, the Mountaineers will enter the Sun Belt Tournament as the fourth seed, meaning they will play the winner of Game 7 on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. CT). This marks App State's third-highest seed at the tournament in the
Dustin Kerns era.
App State started the game strong, embarking on a 17-8 run to open the game, but Texas State held strong on its home floor and eventually took the lead at halftime. This continued into the second half as the Bobcats went ahead by as many as six points in the final 20 minutes. Although App State jumped ahead by four points with 5:08 to play in the second half, another crucial Texas State run, this one a 7-0 run, helped it take a three-point lead with less than a minute to play.
How it Happened
Despite Texas State scoring the game's first points on a jumper from Drone, the Mountaineers wasted no time answering and jumped ahead by nine points thanks to an 11-0 run.
Jalen Tot spearheaded the flurry with a four-point play before
Luke Wilson and
Michael Marcus Jr. capped off the run with dunks.
Texas State ended the run with a free throw and a layup, but App State jumped back ahead by nine points with 12:35 to play with another run.
Alonzo Dodd was the catalyst during this spurt, as he totaled four points on back-to-back possessions.
Seeing their deficit balloon back up to nine, the Bobcats went to work and cut App State's lead back down to four with less than 10 minutes to play. The Bobcats eventually tied the score with 4:48 to play in the first half, but the Mountaineers totaled four straight points, with the help of a
Kasen Jennings three, to go back ahead by four by the final media timeout.
Although App State led with four minutes to go, the Bobcats ended the half strong and took a one-point lead into the halftime locker room. A Jonah Bolden 3-pointer, Texas State's second three of the first half, helped send the large home crowd into a frenzy as the buzzer sounded.
A Wilson layup in the paint kick-started the second half and pushed the Mountaineers back ahead by a point. This was followed by a Tot 3-pointer to push App State back ahead by three, but Texas State responded with nine straight points to storm ahead by six as play hit the under-12 media timeout.
Seeing their largest deficit of the game, the Mountaineers looked for an answer and found it as Dodd and Marcus Jr. brought the score within one with 11 minutes to play. This helped spark a 6-3 spurt for App State, which gave it a one-point lead by the under-eight timeout. Another layup by Dodd pushed App State ahead 50-49 as play crept toward the home stretch.
App State's one-point lead grew to four thanks to a Tot top-of-the-key 3-pointer. As play hit the under-four timeout with Texas State trailing by four, it looked like the Mountaineers were going to leave San Marcos with a win. This momentum was short-lived, however, as the Bobcats generated momentum of their own on their home floor, which helped them close the game strong.
The Bobcats used a DJ Hall jumper to jump-start a clutch 7-0 run that propelled them ahead by three points with just 38 seconds to play. App State finally ended the run with a Dodd layup to make the score 58-57 with 26 seconds to go in regulation. Then, Texas State missed the front end of a one-and-one, which gave the Mountaineers one last chance to take the lead in San Marcos.
With the ball in Dodd's hands, he drove left toward the basket and found a wide-open Banks in the corner. Banks lined up his shot and fired, but it fell off the back iron. The rebound fell into Texas State's hands, and it sank two free throws on the other end to go ahead by three with a second left. Needing a quick 3-pointer to force overtime, the Mountaineers got a clean look from Jennings, but his shot fell short, and Texas State claimed the win on its home floor.
Top Performers
Tot and Dodd each led the way for the Mountaineers on offense, tallying 15 points apiece. Tot drilled a team-best three 3-pointers, while Dodd also recorded seven rebounds and two assists against the Bobcats. Wilson also eclipsed double figures against Texas State, while also recording his team-best 11th double-double of the season with 11 rebounds.
Up Next
The Sun Belt Tournament in Pensacola, Fla., awaits App State next. The Mountaineers have earned the fourth seed at the tournament and will play on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. CT) against the winner of Game 7. All games at the Sun Belt Tournament will be broadcast on ESPN+, with the exception of the championship game, which will be broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2.
