By Bobby Neal for App State Sports. ATLANTA, Ga. — App State men’s basketball dominated from start to finish against Georgia State on Feb. 22, completing the season sweep of the Panthers, 78-52.
The Mountaineers posted their largest road win since Jan. 31, 2005, when App State took care of Longwood, 89-59.
App State made 14 of its 21 3-point attempts (Christopher Mantis and CJ Huntley combined for 10-of-14), the team’s best shooting performance from “downtown” since Feb. 11, 2011, when the Mountaineers made nine of 13 threes in a win over High Point.
The Black & Gold recorded 20 assists, the most of any contest against a Sun Belt opponent this season. Xavion Brown had six of those to go along with his nine points and six rebounds.
Mantis led the team in scoring with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting, followed by Donovan Gregory with 16, Huntley with 14 and Terence Harcum with 11.
Huntley was the star of the first 10 minutes, making four consecutive 3-pointers as his team jumped out to a 22-10 lead at the 12-minute mark of the first half.
The Mountaineers stayed aggressive, posting a halftime score of 42-25. Gregory assisted four shots in the first half, totaling 300 in his career, which is good for 10th all-time at App State.
App State kept its foot on the gas in the final period, out-scoring the Panthers, 36-27. Mantis and Gregory combined for 23 points in the second half.
Defensively, the Mountaineers held Georgia State’s leading scorer, Dwon Odom, to a 25% night. The visiting team held the Panthers to 36.8% from the floor and 23.5% from deep. App State ranks 18th in the nation in field goal percentage defense and leads the Sun Belt.
Justin Abson blocked two shots, increasing his season total to 66. The all-time record at App State for blocks in a season is 75, set by Jeremy Clayton during the 2007-08 season. Ricky Nedd (1992-93) sits in second place with 67, one ahead of Abson.
The Black & Gold will finish their regular season on Feb. 24, 7 p.m. EST, at Georgia Southern. Next week, they will head to Pensacola, Fla. for the Sun Belt Tournament.
