MOBILE, Ala. – In a tight matchup between two of the top teams in the Sun Belt Conference on Jan. 4, the App State Mountaineers outlasted the South Alabama Jaguars, 91-84 — in a barn burner that needed overtime to be decided.
The Mountaineers showed poise in the extra five minutes, holding the Jaguars to just two points while forcing two turnovers.
With Thursday’s overtime win, the Mountaineers (11-3, 2-0 SBC) are 2-0 to start Sun Belt Conference play for the first time since Coach Kerns’ first year as head coach and just the second time since 2012. The victory over the Jaguars (8-6, 1-1 SBC) is the third time under Kerns that App State has started its Sun Belt road schedule 1-0.
Five players notched double-figure nights for the Mountaineers on Thursday. The team scored 91 points, which is the most points scored against a Sun Belt opponent under Kerns and the first time in just over three years that App State has scored at least 90 points against a conference foe.
Top Performers
Balanced scoring paced the Mountaineer charge on Thursday as five players reached double figures for the game. Spillers’ 23 points on 11-13 shooting led the way for Coach Kerns’ squad as the junior tallied a season-high against the Jaguars. Terence Harcum played one of his best games of the season, notching 15 points on 6-7 shooting, while hitting timely shots when App State needed a bucket. Myles Tate played the role of floor general nicely for the Mountaineers as he tallied 13 points while dishing out a team-best four assists.
Next Up
App State will take 167 miles up the road to take on the Troy Trojans at Trojan Arena in their next contest on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
SCORING LEADERS
- SAL – Isaiah Gaiter (29 points)
- APP – Tre’Von Spillers (23)
- SAL – Tyrell Jones (19)
- APP – Terence Harcum (15)
- APP – C J Huntley (14)
- APP – Donovan Gregory (13)
- APP – Myles Tate (13)
- SAL – Elijah Ormiston (10)
- SAL – Thomas Howell (10)
LEADING REBOUNDERS
- SAL – Thomas Howell (10)
- APP – Tre’Von Spillers (9)
- APP – Justin Abson (6)
