Boone, North Carolina – In the first game played at the Holmes Convocation Center in nearly three weeks, the App State Mountaineers (4-2) defeated the Austin PA Governors (3-4) from start to finish. It was the first ever matchup between the two teams, and they won by 78 points. 58. The Mountaineers led for all but 13 seconds of the game and were up by as many as 27 points on Sunday.
The Mountaineers’ depth was once again on display Sunday as 11 players played and eight players scored at least two points. At App State he had three players score in double digits and six players score at least his eight points.
It was a perfect game on both sides of the ball for App State on its home floor, as the Mountaineers held Austin Peay to just 36 percent from the field and forced nine turnovers. Entering Sunday’s game, the Mountaineers have held their opponents to under 40 percent shooting for the third straight game.
how did it happen
It was a great start for App State on Sunday. Trevon Spillers would take a plate from zavion brown He then flashed a dunk over two defenders, scoring the first points of the game and electrifying the crowd. Spillers, who started his third straight game Sunday, had his best game as a Mountaineer, scoring 20 points on 9-for-13 shooting.
After Austin Peay took a brief lead before the first media timeout, the Mountaineers used a 10-0 run to break out and never trailed again in the contest. The Mountaineers held the Governors to just 3-for-16 shooting in the first eight minutes, allowing App State to take an early lead.
If the Governors can break through App State’s domination, they will be within three points of the lead. A quick burst from Digi Jones and a cold stretch from App State helped the Governors go on a 13-7 run, cutting the lead over the Mountaineers to three points. Jones scored 10 of his 11 points during Austin Peay’s burst.
In their first close game since 9-6, the Mountaineers used their defense to create fast-break opportunities and extended their lead to 12 points with just over three minutes left in the first half. Austin Peay missed four of his next five shots and turned the ball over twice in the next three minutes, allowing App State to get out in transition and get easy buckets. The Mountaineers had nine fast break points compared to Austin Peay’s three on Sunday.
From there, the Mountaineers took control of the game and ended the first half on a 20-3 run, holding a 20-point lead heading into the halftime break. The Governors would miss 10 of their final 11 shots in the first half, but App State sank five of their final nine shots to take a commanding lead.
In one of the best first halves of the season, the Mountaineers shot a whopping 56 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, making four of seven threes. . The Mountaineers dominated in the paint Sunday, outscoring the Governors 20-10 in the first half.
donovan gregory and Trevon Spillers App State took the lead in the first frame, each scoring double-digit points. Free throw shooting, which has struggled so far this season, was key Sunday as App State shot 10-for-11 from the line and built a big lead in the first half.
Despite App State’s delay after the break, the Mountaineers kept the pressure on the Governors, never letting the lead drop below 15 points in the final frame. The Governors scored the first four points of the second half to cut the lead to 16 points, but a three-ball from Gregory ended that spurt.
The Mountaineers extended their lead to 22 points, their most points thus far. Miles Tate He made a layup with 16 minutes left. Tate had another good game on Sunday, where he had eight points, four assists, and two steals.
The second half started off a bit sloppy for the Black and Gold, with five turnovers and turnovers in the first five minutes, but App State’s solid defense helped the Governors capitalize on their chances. I couldn’t take advantage of it. Austin Peay made mistakes in the first half, missing six of its first 10 shots.
At the 12-and-under media timeout, App State was up 9-2 and moved into the lead by 25 points by the next intermission. jordan marshHe scored a career-high 13 points, scoring four of them during the period, and provided some inspiration for the Black & Gold off the bench.
Marsh hit three straight 3s on Sunday and scored nine straight points in the final two minutes, helping extend the Mountaineers’ lead to a game-high 27 points and almost sealing the deal. The freshman guard shot 5-of-8 from the field and made three of four long balls in just 14 minutes of play Sunday.
App State would stay the distance, emptying its bench by the end of the contest and securing a convincing win on that floor. Sunday’s win marked App State’s first three-game winning streak of the season.
top performer
App State’s hot shooting and solid defense led to Sunday’s one of the most productive games of the season. Offensively, Trevon Spillers He took the lead with a season-best 20 points, the most ever for a mountaineer. Gregory scored 17 points on 4-5 shooting and a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line, marking his fifth straight game with 10 or more points. Marsh scored 13 points off the bench and made a career-high three 3-pointers, which should make sense for him to sign with App State on Sunday. . App State had his three double-digit scorers, making it his 12th consecutive contest in which App State had at least two of his double-digit scorers.
Next is next
The Mountaineers will welcome the ETSU Buccaneers to the Holmes Center on Wednesday, renewing one of the program’s oldest rivalries. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.