By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Balanced play up and down the Holmes Center court by App State offset a dismal day at the free throw line and beyond the arc, the Mountaineers battling to a 65-60 win over Eastern Michigan in the final installment of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge for the 2025-26 season. They extended their win streak to six games.

Alonzo Dodd led the way for the regular tenants of the Holmes Center in front of reported Alumni Day attendance of 1,870. The St. Paul, Minn. native who transferred to App State a year ago from Texas A&M-Commerce as a junior has become the tip of the ball-handling spear for the Mountaineers. He dished out five assists to complement a game-high 23 points against the Eagles — and late in the second half added his 100th career steal.

Three other Mountaineers recorded double figures in scoring, including Kasen Jennings (11 points), Luke Wilson (10) and Eren Banks (10). Wilson added 10 rebounds to complete a double-double, while also defending the rim with a pair of blocked shots.

Eastern Michigan also had four team members in double figures, led by a pair of big forwards in Mohammed Habhab and Addison Patterson, with 14 points each. Habhab also pulled down a dozen rebounds to record a double-double on the afternoon while showing his 6-11 ft. versatility with two blocked shots and distributing six assists.

The first half was a tight affair with five lead changes. The largest margin (6 points) coming with just one minute before intermission when Banks knocked down a 3-pointer. But Patterson responded half a minute later with his own shot from beyond the arc to narrow the Mountaineers halftime advantage to 36-33.

The second half was more of the same — except the Mountaineers never gave up the tenuous lead. The visiting Eagles kept the game close until the waning seconds when they were forced to foul, hoping the Mountaineers would miss their foul shots and return possession to EMU. App State’s biggest lead in this game was just 9 points, coming with just 36 seconds remaining on the game clock.

Although the Mountaineers had shot 72 percent from the free throw line in the last five games, all wins, against Eastern Michigan they reverted back to the kind of performance at the charity stripe (53.6 percent, or 15-of-28) that has them buried at dead last (No. 361) in free throw shooting among NCAA Division I programs.

Fortunately for the Mountaineers, EMU found it challenging to capitalize on App State’s miscues at the foul line. That, plus a strong performance inside the paint primarily by Wilson and Michael Marcus, Jr. in facing the 6-11 Habab, who posted team highs for Eastern Michigan in points (14), rebounds (12), assists (6) and blocked shots (2).

Afterwards, Mountaineer head coach Dustin Kerns acknowledged the strength of the Eastern Michigan program, noting its win over Cincinnati earlier in the year as well as recent overtime matchups with the top teams in the MAC.

“We knew we were in for a fight,” said Kerns. “I credit Eastern Michigan’s defense because we did not shoot the ball great, from the 3-point arc or from the free throw line. But we found a way to win and that is the sign of a good team, being able to win without our best performance.”

With the six-game winning streak, App State is now 17-9 overall and 9-4 in Sun Belt Conference play, moving them into sole possession of the No. 2 spot, a half game behind Troy (17-8. 9-3), a team the Mountaineers roundly defeated on the road, a week ago. At 7-4 in SBC competition, South Alabama and Marshall are tied for No. 3.

So the next five regular season conference games remaining, three on the road and two at home, will be crucial determinants in sorting out the seeding for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament beginning March 3 through March 9, hosted by the Pensacola (Fla) Bay Center. The top two regular season finishers receive byes into the semifinals (March 8). The No. 3 and No. 4 seeds receive byes to the quarter finals (March 7).

The Mountaineers go on the road for tilts at Georgia Southern (14-11, 6-6) on Feb. 11 and at James Madison (12-13, 4-8) on Feb. 14. They return home to host Marshall (15-9, 7-4) and a rematch vs. Georgia Southern on Feb. 21. Closing out the regular season is a battle at Texas State (15-11, 7-6) on Feb. 27.

SELECTED TEAM STATISTICS

•  Field Goal %: EMU 40%, APP 39%
• Field Goals: EMU 25-63, APP 23-59
• 3-Point %: EMU 27%, APP 19%
• 3-Point Shots: EMU 6-22, APP 4-21
• Free Throw %: EMU 67%, APP 54%
• Free Throws: EMU 4-6, APP 15-28
• Turnovers: EMU 6, APP 7
• Points off Turnovers: EMU 6, APP 10
• Total Rebounds: EMU 37, APP 43
• 2nd Chance Points: EMU 17, APP 5
• Bench Points: EMU 8, APP 16
• Points in Paint: EMU 24, APP 38
• Fast Break Points: EMU 0, APP 12
• Blocked Shots by: EMU 3, APP 4
• Steals by: EMU 4, APP 4
• Assists: EMU 11, APP 13
• Times Tied: 9
• Lead Changes: 4
• Lead Time: EMU 3:36, APP 31:00

SELECTED KEY PERFORMERS

• APP – Alonzo Dodd: 23 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal
• APP – Luke Wilson: 10 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots
• APP – Kasen Jennings: 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
• APP – Michael Marcus, Jr.: 9 rebounds
• APP – Eren Banks: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
• EMU – Mohammed Habhab: 14 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocked shots, 1 steal
• EMU – Addison Patterson: 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
• EMU – Jon Sanders: 12 points, 2 rebounds
• EMU – Gregory Lawson: 10 points, 1 assist

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — When two college basketball teams are both nationally ranked among the highest in scoring defense, a low-scoring game is probably in the offing. On Feb. 4, App State and South Alabama took to the court with a lot on the line — and produced a classic.

After 10 lead changes as well as scoring runs and comeback rallies by both the Mountaineers and the Jaguars, App State emerged as the 65-57 winner to extend its winning streak to five games.

The Mountaineers finished with three players in double figures scoring, including guard Jalen Tot (23 points), guard Alonzo Dodd (18) and center/forward Luke Wilson (11). Tot’s scoring line featured 7-of-17 (41.2 percent) shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. Dodd and Wilson posted double-doubles on the night, Dodd with 13 rebounds and Wilson pulling down 11 boards to go along with their scoring.

Against a South Alabama team averaging 73.5 points per game, offensively, App State faced yet another strong challenge with the stingiest of defenses. Coming off a landmark upset of Troy when the Mountaineers held the Trojans to just 44 points — an astonishing 41 points below their season average of 85 — App State followed up with another stellar defensive effort against the Jaguars. Wilson added two blocked shots to his stat line for the game, while Dodd, Tot and Eren Banks each recorded a steal. In what was largely an error-free game in terms of ball-handling, South Alabama’s five turnovers were a critical factor in the Mountaineers’ staying on top.

Slamma Jamma: Luke Wilson produces some ‘thunder’

South Alabama almost played spoiler, too, with a defensive effort that kept App State’s scoring productivity below the team’s average so far this year (nearly 72 points per game). Offensively, the Jaguars were led by guard Chaze Harris (17 points), guard Jayden Cooper (16) and guard Randy Brady (9).

Perhaps the most overlooked stat in this game: South Alabama forward Adam Olsen averaged 18.3 points per game leading up to the encounter with App State — but was effectively defended by the Mountaineers on this night. He was limited to just six points. Credited with only three rebounds, Olsen was largely a non-factor in the paint thanks to the defensive efforts of Wilson and sophomore forward Michael Marcus, Jr.

“That was a hard fought game against a really good program,” said App State head coach Dustin Kerns to open his post-game press conference. “South Alabama is a really good team with an identity. We knew this was going to be a back and forth, tough game. When we needed to make shots, we got some shots. When we needed to make some stops, we got the stops. I am really proud of our guys for the hard fought win.”

Facing the ‘Syracuse of the South’

Kerns smiled in comparing two of the top defenses in NCAA Division I men’s basketball, the Mountaineers at No. 13 according to the NCAA statistical website, the Jaguars tied at No. 41 — out of 361 NCAA Division I programs.

“Obviously, we are man-to-man (on defense) and they are all zone,” said Kerns in noting the differences. “And they are really good at it, maybe the ‘Syracuse of the South’, I guess. It was back and forth, back and forth. Ten lead changes, four times tied, and it seemed like more than that. Our biggest lead was near the end of the game. I don’t know that the final score was really indicative of how close this game was.”

Jalen Tot, the Mountaineer guard who transferred as a graduate student from Montana State-Billings, has provided a scoring spark for App State since earning a spot in the starting lineup in early January.

“As a transfer from the Division II level, now competing against bigger, stronger, more athletic guys, there is a little bit of a transition (to be expected),” Kerns said of Tot. “He figured that out. Jalen’s strengths are shooting.

“In playing against 40 minutes of zone defense, we talked to our guys about (being patient) and taking the right shot,” added Kerns. “You have to shoot some threes against a zone and we took 39 of them. I thought Jalen took 17 good threes. He didn’t force any or take bad shots and he made seven. Making seven of 17 from long distance (41 percent) is pretty good.”

Asked whether Tot’s growing reputation as a shooter is taking pressure off of the Mountaineers’ other playmakers, Kerns nodded his head.

“Yeah, he is stretching the floor,” said Kerns.

If there was any level of disappointment expressed by Kerns, it was an observation about game attendance. He was appreciative of the fans who attend and goes out of his way after every game to interact with and “high five” the student section, but also noted the obvious.

“We need more people,” said Kerns. “We had 2,000 people (tonight), but that is only a quarter of the capacity (of the Holmes Center). We are contending for a conference championship. We are right there at the top of the league, but we are 13^th in league attendance (out of 14 teams). We need more people. Our guys have earned that.”

The Mountaineers next get on the Holmes Center court in a non-conference tilt vs. Eastern Michigan on Feb. 7, 3 p.m., in the second half of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. It is also Alumni Day.

Then it is back to Sun Belt Conference league play road games Feb. 11 (at Georgia Southern) and Feb. 14 (at James Madison) before two home matchups on Feb. 19 (vs. Marshall) and Feb. 21 (vs. Georgia Southern). They close out the regular season on Feb. 27, at Texas State.

Sun Belt Conference championship tournament play begins March 3 for the four lowest seeded teams (Nos. 11-14), with the winners playing the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds on March 4. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeded teams get byes into the semifinal games on March 8. The No. 3 and No. 4 seeded teams get byes into the quarterfinals on March 7.

The Sun Belt Conference championship tournament is hosted by the Pensacola Bay Center, in Pensacola, Fla.

SELECTED TEAM STATS

• Field goal %: USA 37%, APP 40%
• Field goals: USA 20-54, APP 21-53
• 3-point FG%: USA 38%, APP 28%
• 3-point FGs: USA 8-21, APP 11-39
• Free Throw %: USA 69%m APP 67%
• Free Throws: USA 9-13, APP 12-18
• Total Rebounds: USA 31, APP 40
• Defensive Rebounds: USA 25, APP 30
• Offensive Rebounds: USA 6, APP 10
• Second Chance Points: USA 3, APP 13
• Bench Points: USA 9, APP 4
• Points in the Paint: USA 20, APP 18
• Fast Break Points: USA 2, APP 10
• Blocked Shots by: USA 0, APP 2
• Steals: USA 5, APP 3
• Assists: USA 13, APP 12
• Time in Lead: USA 4:54, APP 31:22

SELECTED KEY INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES

• APP – Alonzo Dodd: 18 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal
• APP – Luke Wilson: 11 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocked shots
• APP – Jalen Tot: 23 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
• APP – Kasen Jennings: 7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
• USA – Chaze Harris: 17 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists
• USA – Jayden Cooper: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
• USA – Randy Brady: 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
• USA – Adam Olsen: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

By Jacob Plecker. BOONE, N.C. —  In its first home game of 2026, the App State men’s basketball team raced ahead to a 12-0 lead less than three minutes into the game, which helped lead to a wire-to-wire, 80-65 victory over the James Madison Dukes on Jan. 15 at the Holmes Center. App State led from its first possession of the game to the final whistle in the first game of a 4-game homestand.

The Mountaineers (11-8, 4-3 SBC) were physical with the Dukes (9-9, 2-4 SBC) all game, which helped lead to a seven-rebound advantage for App State (38-31). Three different App State players finished their night with at least nine rebounds in Alonzo Dodd (10), Luke Wilson (nine) and Michael Marcus Jr. (nine). Dodd’s 10 rebounds went along with 23 points, which helped lead to his first career double-double.

App State shot the lights out from both the field and from behind the arc against the Dukes, as App State posted a 52.5 percent clip from the field and a 41.9 percent rate from 3-point land. App State’s hot shooting night started with five straight makes from the field, which helped lead to its 12-0 start. Additionally, App State buried 13 3-pointers, its most since also making 13 against High Point on Dec. 14 and its second-most made threes in a home game (made 14 against Virginia-Lynchburg on Dec. 3). Three different players nailed at least three 3-pointers in Kasen Jennings, Dodd and Jalen Tot.

On top of scoring a career-best 23 points, Jennings set a personal milestone on Thursday by notching his 1,000th career collegiate point at the 3:38 mark of the second half. Jennings had just five points at halftime, but scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half to get to the significant milestone. The graduate guard from Atlanta has already set his career best for points in a season, and stands at 1,001 career points after tonight’s game.

How it Happened

App State started the game strong by winning the opening tip and scoring on its first possession thanks to a hook shot in the lane by Wilson. The Mountaineers forced a Justin McBride miss on the other end and scored 18 seconds later to quickly go up 4-0 just over a minute into the contest.

After another JMU miss, Dodd raced into the lane for a score to make it 6-0 after just three possessions, which forced a Preston Spradlin timeout. Wilson swatted his first of five shots after the timeout, and Tot took advantage of the fast-break opportunity by nailing a 3-pointer off a feed by Jennings in the corner. A scoreless possession by the Dukes that ended in a shot-clock violation turned into another 3-pointer, this time by Marcus Jr., which made it 12-0 at the 17:08 mark. JMU finally got on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer, but App State had made its mark early on in its first game at home since Dec. 20.

Dodd scored again before the first media timeout of the game, and Jennings answered a JMU score with his first points of the game to push App State ahead by 11. A 3-pointer by Jennings sent App State ahead by 12 for the second time in the game at the 12:56 mark, but JMU answered by scoring each of the next eight points to cut App State’s lead down to four with 9:33 to play in the first half.

A slick move by Jason Clarke Jr. sent action to the under-eight media timeout before Dodd connected on a 3-pointer to counter JMU’s run and put the Mountaineers ahead by nine yet again. App State’s lead grew back to double-digits after Marcus Jr. found the lane, but the Dukes answered by scoring four straight points to make it a six-point game at the final media timeout of the opening half.

The Mountaineers maintained their six-point lead as play neared halftime, but a late spurt, capped off by a Marcus Jr. tip-in layup and a Dodd 3-pointer, propelled App State into the break with an 11-point lead. The Mountaineers shot 51 percent from the floor in the opening half, while keeping James Madison to just a 29.4 percent mark on the defensive side.

App State started the second half in identical fashion to the first half, as a layup by Dodd and a transition three by Jennings capped off a 10-0 App State run to put it ahead by 16 at the 18:16 mark of the second half. JMU eventually cut its deficit back down to 10 by the first media timeout, but Dodd responded yet again by connecting on a 3-pointer to put App State back up 13 points with 15:34 to play in the game.

Threes apiece by Jennings and Eren Banks helped App State maintain its double-digit lead as play hit the under-12 timeout, and Dodd eclipsed the 20-point threshold for the fifth time this season with a layup at the 10:49 mark of the second half. The Dukes did well to keep their deficit within 10 over the next several minutes, but App State eventually went ahead by 18 points after Wilson threw home a powerful dunk and Tot beat the shot clock with a dazzling 3-pointer.

Jennings’ fifth 3-pointer of the game gave App State a 21-point lead with 3:38 to play in the game. This was also his 1,000th career basket. Although the Dukes scored eight of the game’s final 10 points, a pair of Dodd free throws helped close out a double-digit win for the Mountaineers in the first game of a season-long four-game homestand.

Top Performers

Both Jennings and Dodd paced all scorers, with both tallying 23 points while also combining for 13 rebounds and seven assists. Dodd finished with his first career double-double after recording a career-best 10 rebounds, which makes him the fifth different Mountaineer to tally a double-double this season. Marcus Jr. was the third Mountaineer to finish in double figures against the Dukes, as he tallied 12 points and fell one rebound shy of a double-double. Wilson was electric on the defensive end as he blocked a career-best five shots to go along with eight points and nine rebounds.

Up Next

App State will continue its homestand on Saturday with the second regular-season matchup against the Old Dominion Monarchs. App State took home a win in Norfolk back on Dec. 31 in the first meeting between the two teams. Tip off from the Holmes Center is slated for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

By Bret Strelow. BOONE, N.C. — App State Wrestling won the first nine matches and remained unbeaten in SoCon duals with a 40-3 home victory against VMI on Jan. 15.

The Mountaineers (5-4, 2-0 SoCon) are back in action Friday night with a trip to Blacksburg, Va., to face No. 7 Virginia Tech (5-2). The 7 p.m. dual will be held at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech and be streamed on ACCNX.

App State received bonus points in seven of its nine wins Thursday, going on a dominant run after true freshman Colt Campbell avenged an opening-weekend, overtime loss to Beau Lewis by prevailing 6-4 at 174 pounds thanks to a first-period takedown and then a third-period reversal with his riding time about to drop under a minute. Lewis got in on a late shot but couldn’t secure a go-ahead takedown in the closing seconds.

Tomas Brooker won via a 20-4 tech fall at 184 before Logan Eller benefited from four first-period stalling points and posted a third-period takedown in a 9-0 major decision against veteran Toby Schoffstall. Stephan Monchery needed just 62 seconds to record a win by fall in his heavyweight match.

Cooper Foster closed a stellar first period with more near fall points to secure a 16-0 tech fall at 125 pounds, and Jarvis Little won a 17-4 major decision at 133.

VMI (4-4, 0-1) closed the dual with a 4-3 decision at 141 pounds, as 2024 NCAA qualifier Dyson Dunham had a first-period takedown against Aldo Hernandez.

The dual began with Kaden Keiser winning a 4-2 decision against Patrick Jordon thanks to a takedown late in the second period, and Jeremiah Price built a 12-2 lead in a 17-9 major decision against Eric Doran at 157. Anthony Conetta held a 7-0 lead when Tyler Berish suffered a match-ending injury at 165.

App State 40, VMI 3
149: #26 Kaden Keiser (APP) def. Patrick Jordon (VMI), 4-2 dec.
157: Jeremiah Price (APP) def. Eric Doran (VMI), 17-9 maj. dec.
165: Anthony Conetta (APP) def. Tyler Berish (VMI), injury def. (7-0 lead)
174: Colt Campbell (APP) def. Beau Lewis (VMI), 6-4 dec.
184: #23 Tomas Brooker (APP) def. Andrew Barford (VMI), 20-4 tech fall
197: Logan Eller (APP) def. Toby Schoffstall (VMI), 9-0 maj. dec.
Hwt: Stephan Monchery (APP) def. Cole Will (VMI), fall (1:02)
125: Cooper Foster (APP) def. Waylon Rogers (VMI), 16-0 tech fall
133: Jarvis Little (APP) def. Cody Tanner (VMI), 17-4 maj. dec.
141: Dyson Dunham (VMI) def. Aldo Hernandez (APP), 4-3 dec.