By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — When Appalachian State took its first lead against visiting Campbell University with roughly 7:06 remaining in the game, at 49-47, many of the 2,856 fans in attendance figured it had just been a matter of time for the Mountaineers to rally from being down by 10 points a few minutes earlier. Alas, for AppNation, the Fighting Camels had other plans in winning the game, 63-58.
In the opening minutes of the contest, the first of three games the Mountaineers will play over the Nov. 18-20 weekend in a round robin, non-conference tournament format, App State could not buy a basket. Blocked shots, missed shots, and turnovers seemed to be the order of the day for the Mountaineers.
“Credit to Campbell,” said App State head coach Dustin Kerns, after the game. “They hadn’t played in a week and they were prepared.”
The Mountaineers had their moments, mostly in the first 13 minutes of the second half that allowed them to tie the game at 47, then take the lead. From a shooting standpoint, though, it was an off night for most of whatever quintet App State had on the floor.
Kerns dismissed the idea that the team might still be “hungover” from the emotional win over Louisville three nights earlier as well as the travel. “I thought our guys were ready to play. We had turned the page.”
Kerns indicated that his charges created some good opportunities but, “We just didn’t execute.”
He also offered that Campbell having a week to prepare meant they were able to install some different looks and schemes that the coaches and players had not seen in studying film.
The Mountaineers, now 3-1 on the still young season, return to the Holmes Center on Saturday night, Nov. 19, to face the Kennesaw State Owls at 7 p.m., then Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 2:30 p.m.
SELECTED TEAM STATS
- Field Goal%: App 36%. CAM 46%
- 3FG%: APP 28%, CAM 36%
- FT%: APP 50%, CAM 56%
- Total Rebounds: APP 38, CAM 35
- Bench Points: APP 8, CAM 16
- Points in Paint: APP 26, CAM 30
- Assists: APP 12, CAM 15
- Lead Time: APP 1:47, CAM 36:31
LEADING SCORERS
- APP Donovan Gregory (21)
- CAM Devon Dunn (18)
- APP CJ Huntley (12)
- CAM Jesu Carralero (11)
LEADING REBOUNDERS
- APP Donovan Gregory (7)
- APP CJ Huntley (7)
- APP Tyree Boykin (7)
- CAM Jesu Carralero (7)
- CAM Jay Pal (6)
