Boone, North Carolina – It was a magical day in front of a capacity crowd, with the App State Mountaineers defeating the Auburn Tigers 69-64 in the program’s first game on national television in the Holmes Convocation Center era. The Mountaineers led for the first 27 minutes of the game and had four double-digit performances to lead their team to victory.
The Mountaineers (6-2) won their fifth straight game with the win over Auburn (5-2), and have held a double-digit lead in each game during the streak.
Sunday’s win over SEC opponent Auburn gave the Mountaineers their third win over an SEC school in program history, but their only win over an SEC opponent was Arkansas in 2007. It was his first victory since defeating. The win also marked App State’s first win against a top major school. It was the Mountaineers’ first opponent on their home floor since 1993, when they defeated Nebraska at Varsity Gym.
Sunday’s App Nation was a lively affair, with 7,037 fans attending the game, marking the 11th time in program history that App State will play at home in front of a crowd of 7,000 or more. Sunday was the third time in the Holmes Center era that at least 7,000 people attended a Mountaineers game.
“I thought we deserved to win the game,” Kearns said. “I thought we outplayed them and made big plays when we needed to make big plays. Thank you to everyone who came out to be a part of this moment. This was on national television. It was a big moment that was celebrated by many people. ”
how did it happen
The energy in the building was loud from the time the doors opened until the final buzzer, and the Mountaineers radiated that energy from the tip of the opening. App State held the Tigers to less than 40 percent from the field on the day, making eight 3-pointers, including seven in the second half. App State’s 3-point defense deserves special recognition, as the Tigers made just 3 of 27 attempts Sunday.
The highly anticipated contest at the Holmes Center saw a back-and-forth start with each team exchanging buckets before the first media timeout. terrence harkham He scored his first Mountaineer point on a second chance that clinched the Black & Gold’s victory.
Auburn used a media timeout to settle into contention and mounted a quick 13-4 spurt to move into the lead by nine points. Big baskets from Tre Donaldson and Chad Baker-Mazara and short shots by the Mountaineers gave Auburn its largest lead of the game, forcing an App State timeout.
head coach dustin kearnsA timeout at 12:44 was enough to calm things down as the Black & Gold countered Auburn’s run and took the lead by 8:53. The Mountaineers hit seven of their next eight shots, bringing the crowd to its feet.
With App State leading by one point at the 8-and-under media break, both teams would miss the next eight shots and both teams would suffer a combined shooting slump for the next two minutes. Harcum sank two free throws to break the ice and give App State its largest lead to that point at 26-23 with five minutes left in the first half.
Despite both teams leading by two points in the first half, Sunday’s first play was close, with neither team able to pull away from the other to end the first half. The Mountaineers were able to close the first half with a small margin and entered the locker room with a two-point lead against the visiting Tigers. The Mountaineers have led at halftime in four games so far this season, winning each one.
On Sunday, six Mountaineers found the scoreboard in the first 20 minutes. CJ Huntley and Miles Tate Seven people each lead the way. Huntley and Tate both gave the Mountaineers a much-needed boost off the bench, continuing App State’s trend of balance.
Auburn’s leading scorer Joni Bloom, who will enter Sunday’s game, led the Tigers with 10 points in the first half while shooting 5-10 from the field. huntley rotation, Justin Abson and Trevon Spillers Bloom’s scoring helped prevent him from taking over the offense while the rest of the Mountaineer defense held the Tigers to just 33 percent from the field in the first frame.
After fans watched a special halftime act by K9s in Flight, the large home crowd returned to the venue and prepared for a close game at the Holmes Center. The Mountaineers immediately got a cheer from the crowd when Huntley made a three-off off a nice dish. donovan gregory App State’s largest lead to that point was five.
The game was a back-and-forth affair as Auburn continued to punch back and the Mountaineers countered every blow. Gregory stepped up his play to start the second half, scoring all seven of the Mountaineer’s points by the start of the first half.
Taking a three-point lead by the first media timeout of the second frame, App State scored eight of the game’s next 11 points to jump to an eight-point lead, its largest of the game. Some huge trays by both Harcum and Harcum. jordan marsh Holmes Center turned over as the Mountaineers continued to play hard and keep pace with the Tigers.
Trailing by five points with just over 10 minutes left, a steal from Spillers and a three from Harcum forced Auburn to call a timeout and blow the roof off the building, giving App State an eight-point lead. Although Harcum struggled to shoot the ball entering the play, he made multiple timely shots when the Mountaineers needed it most.
The Mountaineers continued to increase their lead as the game wore on, making two huge baskets to extend their lead to double digits over the next three minutes while holding the Tigers to just six points. Christopher MantisAlthough he has made threes in every game this season, he scored his first goal of the tournament, pushing App State to 11 points, its largest lead of the game.
Undeterred by the Mountaineers’ strong play, Auburn crawled back into the game in the final stages and closed to a three-point lead as App State cooled down. The Tigers, led by Bloom and Donaldson, took advantage of a short 8-2 run to cut the lead to three at the final media timeout.
Buoyed by a capacity crowd and determined to end their memorable victory, the Mountaineers regained their composure, extending their lead to five points and ending Auburn’s hopes of a comeback. As fans flooded the floor to celebrate the Mountaineers’ historic victory, Tate made two free throws to shut out the Tigers.
top performer
It was another balanced effort for the Mountaineers on the day, with four players reaching double figures.Nothing shined so brightly Miles Tatescored a team-high 18 points and nailed a step-back 3-pointer with 33 seconds to play, sending a dagger into Auburn’s heart. CJ Huntley Although he shocked with 10 points off the bench, Auburn defensive standout Joni Bloom deserves special recognition for stepping up when his team needed it most. Justin Abson’s Foul trouble. finally, Terrence Harckham’s The Mountaineer led the way in the second half with clutch 3-point shooting and finished with 12 points in the game.
Next is next
App State is scheduled to face Division II opponent Central Penn on Tuesday to conclude the team’s four-game homestand. Tuesday’s contest will be played as part of a doubleheader with the women’s team. The women’s game will end at 5:30 p.m., with the men’s game to follow approximately 30 minutes later. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.