By Zach Smith. HICKORY, N.C. — It isn’t often that a player records a triple-double in basketball and gets overshadowed by a teammate but that was the case Dec. 21 at the Tarleton Center. App State fell to UNC Asheville, 76-63, behind a record-breaking performance by Asheville guard Josh Banks.
Banks led all scorers with 33 points, 30 of those coming via a program record, 10 three-pointers. Forward Drew Pember posted a triple-double in the contest, reaching double-digits in points (11), rebounds (15) and assists (10).
For App State, Donovan Gregory led the way with 18 points while Tre’Von Spillers recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The game began with both teams trading blows. Asheville opened the first half with a 6-0 run, but the Mountaineers responded with six consecutive points of their own. Both sides then traded shots from beyond the arc before the visitors were able to pull away. The Bulldogs went on to log three more runs of six or more points in the period, including a 10-0 run late in the half that was scored entirely by Banks. After their first run, App State was unable to string together more than four consecutive points. Asheville took a 21-point lead into the break.
Before Thursday’s game, Asheville had a player convert on eight shots from beyond the arc nine different times. Banks drained nine shots from long distance in the first half alone, accounting for 30 of the Bulldogs’ 44 points in the opening frame.
The second half was an improvement for App State but wasn’t enough to overcome the first-half deficit. The Mountaineers cut the deficit to as little as 12, but Asheville continued to apply pressure and ultimately put the game to bed.
Much of App State’s struggles came where Asheville was best: beyond the arc. While the Bulldogs shot an impressive 58% from deep, the Mountaineers were unable to get shots to fall. App State only cashed in on three of their 24 shots from three-point-range. Uncharacteristically, the Mountaineers also struggled off the glass. Asheville out-rebounded App State, 46-37.
Despite the loss, App State head coach Dustin Kerns expressed confidence entering conference play next week.
“We’ve got great confidence, I mean, we’ve got a really good team,” Kerns said. “We just picked a bad night to play poorly, right, like we didn’t play well.”
Kerns was also sure to give credit to Asheville and how they were able to gameplan for the Mountaineers.
“I don’t want to be one of those coaches that doesn’t give credit to the other team,” Kerns said. “They had something to do with that, right? Like, when you’re on an eight-game winning streak, you have a lot of teams that have to really gameplan for you, do something differently and kind of try to really take you out of your stuff.”
Kerns also shouted out Banks for his impressive performance against App State.
“[Banks] had almost an out of body experience there,” Kerns said. “He had 18 made threes on the season and he made nine in a half.”
Early in the game, junior standout guard Xavion Brown suffered an apparent lower-body injury that sidelined him for the rest of the game. Kerns gave an update on Brown’s status.
“You know, I’m still gathering information on it,” Kerns said. “I think he’s going to get an MRI tomorrow, but I don’t think there’s any conclusive deal.”
Thursday’s game was held in Hickory, NC as a way for App State to promote its new satellite campus. The matchup featured a sold-out crowd, with many of those in attendance dressed in Black and Gold. Kerns spoke on what it meant to have that kind of turnout on an important night for the university.
“Awesome environment, awesome game,” Kerns said. “[It’s] awesome being here in Hickory promoting our Hickory campus.”
As a team, App State shot 36% from the field, while Asheville cashed in on 45% of their attempts. The Mountaineers scored 17 points off the bench and outscored Asheville in the paint, 34-26.
Despite the loss, the Mountaineers finished their non-conference slate with an impressive 9-3 record. App State will look to bounce back against ULM next Saturday (Dec. 30). Tip-off is set for 1:00p.m. at Holmes Convocation Center in Boone. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
