By Zach Smith. BOONE, N.C. — Looking to retain their position at the top of the Sun Belt standings, App State battled long-time rival Georgia Southern Thursday night (Jan. 25). The Mountaineers extended their win streak to five games with their victory over the Eagles, 84-74.
The App State scoring effort was led by junior guard Terence Harcum, who posted a season-high 23 points. Harcum was one of four Mountaineers to score double-digit points, joined by Tre’Von Spillers (13), Donovan Gregory (12) and Justin Abson (11). Spillers and Abson tacked on nine rebounds each while freshman guard Jordan Marsh dished out a team-high three assists.
Georgia Southern was led by a 28-point performance from Tyren Moore, while Eugene Brown III grabbed a team-best seven rebounds.
Early in the first half, everything seemed to go in App State’s favor. The Mountaineers scored the game’s first seven points, holding the Eagle scoring effort off through nearly the first three minutes. App State rode Georgia Southern’s shooting struggles to an 11-point lead, but the Eagles weren’t going away easily. Georgia Southern clawed their way back to just a 3-point deficit, but the Mountaineers scored nine consecutive points to extend their advantage to 12. Late in the half, the Eagles went on a 7-0 run of their own, cutting App State’s halftime lead to five points.
With the position we’re in, we’re gonna get everybody’s best shot
The tide seemed to shift in Georgia Southern’s favor to start the second half. App State scored six of the first eight points in the period but the Eagles went on a 15-5 run to take their first lead of the game. Trailing by one point, the Mountaineers found an extra gear. With the crowd becoming more involved by the second, App State responded with another 9-0 run to jump back out in front. Georgia Southern never saw the lead again, and the Mountaineers nested the Eagles to remain undefeated at the Holmes Convocation Center.
App State head coach Dustin Kerns shared his thoughts on the matchup post-game.
“It’s Sun Belt basketball,” Kerns said. “With the position we’re in, we’re gonna get everybody’s best shot, and we certainly got their best shot tonight. Proud of our guys, I thought it was just a hard-fought game.”
[The crowd] just keeps getting bigger and bigger
Thursday’s game saw another large turnout from the App State student section, dubbed the “Mountaineer Menace.” Kerns spoke on what it means to have such a hostile home environment.
“[The crowd] just keeps getting bigger and bigger,” Kerns said. “I don’t know what the attendance was tonight here, but it felt like a big crowd. I really thought our students got into it and really willed us to some stops there. It’s great, and it’s helping. I think it’s helping raise the level of our team and it’s hurting our opponents.”
Georgia Southern erased a nine-point deficit to take their first lead of the game in the second half, but App State immediately regained control. Sophomore forward Justin Abson explained what changed for the Mountaineers to jump back out in front.
“Our intensity,” Abson said. “We felt like we were letting up a little bit, so we just had to put our foot on the gas and take the game back over.”
App State’s next matchup is one that’s been circled on the calendar since early this season. With the Mountaineers playing host to the 18-2 James Madison Dukes Saturday (Jan. 27), Abson and Harcum had one message for the fans.
“Pack Holmes, baby.”
As a team, App State hit on 47% of their shots from the field, compared to Georgia Southern’s 45% clip. The Mountaineers held their rivals to just three made three-pointers, none of which came in the second half. App State once again dominated on the glass, out-rebounding the Eagles, 43-35. Those rebounds were highlighted by the Mountaineers’ 16 offensive-boards, leading to 25 second-chance points. App State’s defense also continued to shine, as their nine blocked shots catapulted them to the top of the country in blocks per game.
With the loss, Georgia Southern falls to 4-16, with an even 4-4 record in Sun Belt play. The Eagles look to tally on another victory Saturday, as they travel to face Old Dominion. Tip-off is set for 7:00p.m., and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.
App State moves to 16-4 following Thursday’s victory, marking their best 20-game start to a season since the 1988-89 campaign. The Mountaineers’ next test is in front of a nationally-televised audience against James Madison. The battle of the top two teams in the Sun Belt is slated to tip-off at 6:00p.m., and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
