By Zach Smith. PENSACOLA, Fla. — There are three guarantees in life: death, taxes, and a thrilling game between App State and Georgia Southern. Once again, the Mountaineers found themselves on top in an overtime thriller with their rivals March 9, 85-80.
App State was led by a 22-point performance from fifth-year forward Donovan Gregory. Sophomore Justin Abson and junior Tre’Von Spillers each notched a double-double in the Mountaineers’ win. Abson proved himself worthy of his Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year award with his seven blocked shots.
Senior guard Tyren Moore was on fire for Georgia Southern. Moore netted a career-high 36 points in the Eagles’ loss. Avantae Parker and Malik Tidwell scored 14 and 11, respectively, to round out Georgia Southern’s top scorers.
App State looked nearly unstoppable in the first half. The Mountaineers scored 11 of the game’s first 13 points and later extended their lead to as many as 14 points. Moore scored eight of Georgia Southern’s final 12 points of the half, closing the deficit to 10 points at the buzzer.
The Eagles clearly made adjustments in the locker room because they came out swinging. Georgia Southern took just over a minute to cut the App State lead in half. Later, the Eagles took a 17-4 run to gain their first lead of the afternoon, before junior Terence Harcum was fouled with 16 seconds on the clock and the Mountaineers trailing by two. Harcum knocked down both shots from the line, and Georgia Southern’s game-winning attempt missed. For the second time this season, App State and Georgia Southern required an extra period to decide a winner.
The bonus stanza was where Georgia Southern’s fatigue might have set in. Having played another game earlier in the week, the Eagles made just one shot in the first four minutes of overtime. The well-rested Mountaineers took advantage, out-scoring Georgia Southern in the extra five minutes, 9-4.
App State head coach Dustin Kerns shared his thoughts on App State’s thrilling victory over Georgia Southern.
“Sun Belt Tournament play,” Kerns said. “We expect games like this. Our guys found a way and we made some winning plays down the stretch. Just really proud of our guys for finding a way to win.”
“We expect games like this”
Georgia Southern head coach Charlie Henry also shared his perspective on his team’s overtime loss.
“They’re a really good team, Coach Kerns does a great job,” Henry said. “You know, it’s all part of what you sign up for when you’re in sports and you’re in basketball. Things come down to one play. Credit to them, they made a lot of plays. Our guys did too.”
App State improved to 4-1 in games that went to overtime on the season. Kerns spoke on what he thinks makes his team so good at closing down the stretch.
“These guys are really experienced,” Kerns said. “We’ve been in these situations. There’s no panic, there’s a unified belief. We know that the game is not over until the buzzer sounds. Every possession matters and these guys have a great understanding of that. We have a cool, calm, collected kind of approach to it.”
Donovan Gregory echoed that thought.
“In those moments, being able to stay together and trusting the work that we put in together as a team, and knowing that, at the end of the day, we’re the better team and we’re prepared for those moments,” Gregory said.
App State’s depth has been a key factor in their success over the course of the season. Kerns spoke on how that impacted App State’s quarterfinals win over Georgia Southern.
“It was big,” Kerns said. “With the overtime period, playing 45 minutes, we still only had one guy with 35 minutes. An average 40-minute game that’s right at 30. Being able to get some guys some rest and breaks is huge. Once again, it’s somebody different every night. Everybody scored that played. That shows that you gotta prepare for nine different guys.”
As a team, App State shot at a 52 percent mark, topping Georgia Southern’s 37 percent clip. The Mountaineers out-rebounded the Eagles, 47-36, but turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 18 Georgia Southern points. App State improved on their nation-best blocks per game with 12 swatted shots. Justin Abson led that effort with seven of his own, his third time with at least that many this season.
With the loss, Georgia Southern has been eliminated from the Sun Belt Tournament. The Eagles complete the 2023-24 season with a 9-24 record, an impressive turnaround following their 0-12 start.
App State moves on to the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals with the win. The Mountaineers will face No. 4 seed Arkansas State, who defeated Louisiana later on March 9. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m. Central (6 p.m. Eastern) at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla. March 10. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Now official:
App State to play Arkansas State in the Sun Belt semifinals. Tipoff is tomorrow at 6 p.m. Eastern. https://t.co/P5J8LYBU59
— Zach Smith (@zksmith01) March 9, 2024
