By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — An electric Holmes Center atmosphere greeted tiny St. Andrews University’s men’s basketball team on Nov. 6, as the NAIA-level (small school) Knights prepared to take on an NCAA Division I opponent in Appalachian State. With an undergraduate enrollment of just over 700 students competing against a school in App State with 21,000-plus students enrolled, the outcome was pretty much as expected for the 2024-25 early season: the Mountaineers rolled over the Knights, 108-54. It was David vs. Goliath, with Goliath winning.

Fifteen Mountaineers saw valuable court time on the night and all 15 put at least one point on the board. The Mountaineers were led by freshman Michael Marcus, Jr., coming off the bench to record the game’s only double-double, 18 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of play.

App State led from the start, a 3-pointer from the left side by guard Jamil Muttilib in the first 14 seconds setting the tone. Grad student returnee C J Huntley scored the next seven points before a pair of free throws by junior guard Alonzo Dodd expanded the lead to 12-0 before the visiting Knights could find the bucket.

The Mountaineers’ scoring barrage continued, leading 35-12 at the halfway point of the first half when center Luke Wilson slammed home a thundering dunk. By halftime, with the Mountaineers filtering in second and third tier replacements, the Knights heard the halftime buzzer sound with App State holding a commanding, 55-27 lead.

Crisp passing, old fashioned hustle, and a punishing defense were the Mountaineers’ calling cards on this night, with a pointed effort to work the ball inside the paint and take advantage of their height advantage. While the Knights never quit working, it mattered little who was on the floor representing App State. More than half (68 points) of App State’s end-of-game total came from the bench.

App State will be hoping the winning lessons from their game vs. St. Andrews rub off as they prepare for their next opponent, Wisconsin, on Sunday, Nov. 10, with a 12 noon tipoff.

SELECTED TEAM STATS

• Field goal %: APP 57, SA 29
• 3-point FG%: APP 40, SA 16
• Free Throws: APP 20-of-31 (65%), SA 10-of-15 (67%)
• Turnovers: APP 6, SA 9
• Total Rebounds: APP 57, SA 31
• Fast Break Points: APP 19, SA 2
• Points in Paint: APP 58, SA 26
• Bench Points: APP 68, SA 39
• Blocks: APP 13, SA 6
• Steals: APP 7, SA 5
• Assists: APP 23, SA 6

KEY PERFORMERS

• APP – Michael Marcus, Jr.: 18 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks
• APP – C J Huntley: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block
• APP – Ben Ezeagu: 12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks
• APP – Myles Tate: 3 points, 9 steals
• APP – Luke Wilson: 6 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks
• APP – Jamil Muttilib: 10 points, 3 blocks
• SA – Pries Williams: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks
• SA – Mate Escamilla: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal

By Katherine Jamtgaard. BOONE, N.C. — The App State women’s basketball team posted a 97-43 victory over Columbia College to open play in the Holmes Convocation Center on Nov. 6, marking Alaura Sharp’s first win as head coach for the Mountaineers.

All 14 Mountaineers scored against the Koalas, with four registering double-figures. Senior J’Mani Ingram netted 18 points. Fellow senior Mara Neira netted 16 points, accounting for four of the Mountaineers’ eight treys. Tallying a career-high 15 points on the night was senior Zada Porter, who sank 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from the line. Junior Seneya Martinez posted 11 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Fellow junior Elena Pericic pulled down six rebounds. Senior Asjah Inniss dished out a team-high five assists. Martinez, Neira, senior Emily Carver, and freshman Hekla Nökkvadóttir combined for eight of App State’s 13 steals, each contributing a pair.

All 14 Mountaineers scored against the Koalas

The Mountaineers controlled the lead for the duration of the game and tallied 32 points off turnovers compared to Columbia’s six. App State also saw 49 points off the bench and 58 points in the paint. The Black and Gold recorded 17 fastbreak points to Columbia’s two. The Black and Gold held Columbia College under 10 points in three of four quarters. The Mountaineers also caused 25 Koala turnovers.

The Mountaineers set to work in the first quarter, holding the Koalas to a mere six points. App State started things off with a 4-0 lead after an early free throw from Zoë McCrary and a 3-point bucket from Carver. Neira contributed eight points, draining a pair of treys in addition to sinking a layup. Ingram went 3-for-3 from the field for six points in the quarter. The Mountaineers netted 15 unanswered points by the close of the quarter.

Columbia only scored nine points in the third and fourth quarters, combined.

Porter opened the second quarter with a layup, which she promptly followed with a jumper to extend App State’s score to 28-9. Inniss made a layup and completed the three-point play with a free throw to keep the Mountaineers ahead 33-14. The Mountaineers went on a 10-0 scoring run over 2:22 to extend the lead to 40-14. App State closed out the quarter, 50-25, after a pair of free throws from Martinez, a trey from Neira, and a layup from Porter, assisted by Inniss.

The Mountaineers held the Koalas to nine points in both the third and the fourth quarters. Neira opened the third quarter with a 3-point bucket, extending App State’s lead to 53-25. Over the course of the period, the Mountaineers went on a 15-point run, which included layups from Neira, McCrary, Carver, Porter, as well a free throw from senior Georgia Gray, and was capped with a trey from junior Emily Hege. The Mountaineers capped the third quarter, 78-34 after a pair of freebies from Ingram.

In the fourth quarter, Ingram recorded eight of the Mountaineers 19 points, draining 4-of-5 from the field. Hege and Martinez managed to break away from layups in the paint to bring the Mountaineers to a 93-41 lead. Senior Samantha LaFon made the Mountaineers’ final layup as App State sealed the win, 97-43.

Up Next

The Mountaineers will head to Greensboro, N.C. to take on UNC Greensboro on Nov. 16. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and the game will be available to stream on ESPN+.

By Jacob Plecker. BOONE, N.C. — For the first time since Feb. 18, 2023, the App State Mountaineers dropped a home men’s basketball contest, falling 77-63 to the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks in the first leg of the MAC-SBC Challenge. It’s also the first time since 2013 the Mountaineers lost their home opener.

Despite the result, eight different Mountaineers found the basket with Myles Tate leading all scorers, dropping in 21 points. In his first collegiate contest, Michael Marcus Jr. tallied nine points on a perfect 3-3 from the field, while Jackson Threadgill also scored nine points in his first game with the Mountaineers.

Turnovers played a large part in the App State (0-1) loss, coughing up the ball 19 times, which led to 10 RedHawk (1-0) points. That is in sharp contrast to a season ago when App State turned the ball over 15 times or more in only four contests.

Tight first half

App State started fast to open the season, running out to an early four-point lead by the first media timeout. Tate played a large role in the hot start, nailing two 3-pointers, while Threadgill and Huntley each buried free throws.

Luke Wilson made his presence felt early in the contest and helped the Mountaineer crowd out of their seats with a thunderous slam at the 14:50 mark, capping off a solo 4-0 run for the redshirt freshman. The lead grew to as large as seven after Tate picked off a pass that led to a fast break layup.

After Peter Suder hit a floater to bring the RedHawks within five, Tate’s tenth point of the contest shot the lead back up to seven by the 13-minute mark of the first half. Miami and Suder answered right back with a layup, plus a foul, to trim its deficit to four by the under-12 timeout.

With the lead now at four, CJ Huntley’s aggressiveness paid off with two free throws to push the App State lead back to six with 10 minutes to play in the half, but the RedHawks and the explosiveness of their backcourt tied the game at 22 with just over seven minutes remaining before intermission.

The lead changed hands four times over the final seven minutes of the half, with both teams jockeying for position to open the season. Dior Conners, playing in his first NCAA Division I game, scored his first basket with a three-pointer to push App State ahead. Miami took a three-point lead, its largest lead of the first half, just before the final media timeout.

A top-of-the-key three by Huntley propelled the Mountaineers ahead with 50 seconds to play in the period, but a late three by Kam Craft gave the RedHawks a one-point lead at halftime.

Tate’s 11 points led all scorers in the first 20 minutes as he shot 4-6 from the field to go along with three rebounds and three assists. Huntley started the game hot from the field as well, tallying nine. Both teams shot less than 40 percent from the field in the opening frame, but Miami’s 42 percent clip from three was the difference in a tightly contested first half.

Second half, faltering

A third 3-pointer in four attempts from Tate gave the Mountaineers the lead back 30 seconds into the second half, but Miami got hot, hitting five of its next seven shots to take a six-point lead by the under-16 timeout.

The Redhawks pushed their lead to eight by the 14:10 mark, but two straight threes by Anthony Alston and Marcus Jr. shrunk the deficit back to two with just under 13 minutes to play. Alston’s three was his first collegiate points.

Miami answered the quick threes from App State by scoring the game’s next six points to reclaim an eight-point advantage. The lead grew to nine by the under-eight timeout as Jackson Kotecki made a layup.

Threadgill’s fifth point of the game closed the Mountaineer deficit back to seven by the 7:35 mark, but the RedHawks continued to shoot it well to grow their lead. Three straight threes from Suder and Craft ballooned the RedHawk lead to 12 with five minutes to play.

The fourth three-pointer from Tate and a free throw by Marcus Jr. trimmed the score back to seven with four minutes to play, but it was Miami that stayed hot to close the game as it scored 10 of the final 14 points to claim a 14-point win in Boone.

Top Performers

Playing all but two minutes of the game, Tate’s 21 points led all scorers and marked his fourth career 20-point performance. He was also efficient, nailing eight of his 15 attempts and four of his seven threes. In just 14 minutes of play, Marcus, Jr. tallied nine points in his first collegiate game on 3-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc. Threadgill played well in his first game at App State, scoring nine points while also blocking two shots, which led the team.

Up Next

App State will take the floor again on Wednesday night, facing off with the St. Andrews Knights at the Holmes Convocation Center. Wednesday’s game will be a part of a doubleheader with the Mountaineer women. The women will tip off at five with the men’s game to follow approximately 30 minutes after. Both games can be streamed on ESPN+.

By Katherine Jamtgaard. OXFORD, Ohio — The App State women’s basketball team fell short to Miami University, 75-48, in its season opener and first installment of the 2024-25 MAC-SBC Challenge, Nov. 4.

Junior Seneya Martinez led the Mountaineers with 15 points off the bench. Martinez combined with senior Mara Neira for six of App State’s seven treys, draining three apiece. Neira also got into double-figures on the night with 11 points. Fellow senior Zada Porter pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and dished out a team-high three assists. The Mountaineers saw 22 points off the bench.

Miami established an early lead over the course of the first quarter. The Mountaineers cut the deficit to 34-22 in the second quarter and outscored the RedHawks 18-11. Neira and Inniss combined for 14 of App State’s 18 points in the period with Neira knocking down three of four from beyond the arc and Inniss draining a 3-point bucket as well as making a fastbreak layup. Junior Elena Pericic contributed a trio of points, draining three from the line.

Miami (Ohio) continued to extend its lead in the third and fourth quarters. The Mountaineers’ Martinez nonetheless found some momentum in the second half, scoring all 15 of her points over the third and fourth quarters. Porter also contributed six points in the second half. In the fourth quarter, App State outscored the RedHawks, 17-12, and went on a 9-0 scoring run. Despite the Mountaineers’ late surge, Miami walked away with the victory.

Up Next

The Mountaineers will return to Boone for their home opener against Columbia College (S.C.) on Nov. 6. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. and will be available to stream on ESPN+. Wednesday’s game is part of a doubleheader with the men’s team, who will play St. Andrews at 7:30 p.m.

By Zach Smith. BOONE, N.C. — Shooting woes and turnover troubles plagued App State men’s basketball Nov. 4 in their season opener. The Mountaineers fell to Miami (Ohio) in the first leg of the MAC-Sun Belt challenge, 77-63.

Senior guard Myles Tate was a key contributor for App State, posting team-highs with 21 points and five assists. Junior guard Jamil Muttilib grabbed seven rebounds, leading the Mountaineers despite playing just 17 minutes.

App State took an early lead in the first half, jumping in front by as many as seven points with just over 13 minutes on the clock. Miami (Ohio) clawed their way back over the next six minutes before drawing even. Following a Myles Tate free throw that put the Mountaineers back on top, the RedHawks took the first lead of the night courtesy of an Evan Ipsaro layup. Miami (Ohio) led by one at halftime.

The second half started as well as it could have for App State. Tate drained a go-ahead three-pointer 30 seconds into the frame and, following a made jumper by RedHawks forward Antwone Woolfolk to tie the game, redshirt freshman Luke Wilson threw an emphatic dunk to give the Mountaineers the lead for the final time. Miami (Ohio) went on three separate runs of at least five consecutive points to put App State away.

The RedHawks won the shooting battle, posting a 46% clip compared to App State’s 40%. The Mountaineers’ struggles were highlighted by a 28% three-point mark. Miami (Ohio) outrebounded App State, 35-34, while the home side turned the ball over 19 times compared to their MAC opponents’ 14.

App State head coach Dustin Kerns shared his thoughts postgame.

“We’ve got some things to improve on in a lot of areas, but appreciate the fans and the students coming out,” Kerns said. “We’ll be better, it won’t define our season. A lot of ball left, but certainly not our best game. Miami (Ohio) had a lot to do with that, and they deserved to win.”

Myles Tate stepped into a new role after primarily coming off the bench last season. Kerns spoke on his performance with a team-high 21 points.

“We want Myles to be aggressive,” Kerns said. “I feel like Myles is going to be the reason that other people play well.”

App State returns to action Nov. 6 when they host St. Andrews in a doubleheader with the women’s team. The men’s game is slated to tipoff at 7:30p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.