By Zach Smith. HUNTINGTON, W.Va. —For the third time in the 2023-24 season, App State men’s basketball played in front of a national audience on Feb. 24. The Mountaineers traveled to face Marshall, defeating the Thundering Herd for the second time in as many weeks, 65-58.
Junior guard Myles Tate led App State’s scoring effort, netting a career-high 25 points. Tate was joined by Donovan Gregory (15) and Terence Harcum (12) as Mountaineers in the double-figures. Tre’Von Spillers grabbed a team-best 11 rebounds.
App State junior netted 12 points and dished out a team-high five assists in the Mountaineers’ Feb. 15 victory over Marshall. Photographic image by Kitana Tucker, courtesy of App State Athletics.
Marshall’s Kevon Voyles and Kamdyn Curfman posted 19 points each, while Nate Martin pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds.
Not looking like themselves, App State found themselves trailing most of the first half. The Mountaineers grabbed the lead with just over 11 minutes in the half but Marshall scored nine consecutive points to take an eight-point advantage. The Herd later used a 6-0 run to hold a six-point lead at the intermission.
App State’s depth once again proved its worth in the second half. The Mountaineers scored 11 of the first 15 points out of the locker room, grabbing their first lead since the halfway point of the first half. Kamdyn Curfman cashed in on two free-throws to regain Marshall’s lead, but Myles Tate drained a three-pointer to give App State a lead they never returned.
App State shot at a 38 percent mark, topping Marshall’s 33 percent clip. The Thundering Herd’s 13 percent shooting from beyond the arc proved to be costly as the Mountaineers connected on 37 percent of their tries from deep. The rebounding matchup was even, each team grabbing 46 boards.
Marshall falls out of contention for a double-bye in the upcoming Sun Belt tournament. The Herd remains in a tie with Georgia State for seventh in the conference standings. Marshall looks to bounce back into the win column Feb. 28 as they travel to Statesboro to face Georgia Southern. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m., and can be streamed on ESPN+.
App State retains sole possession of first place in the Sun Belt standings, and the Mountaineers need one win to clinch at least a share of the regular season conference title. App State continues that quest Feb. 28, when they return to Boone for a battle with Old Dominion. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.
By Zach Smith. BOONE, N.C. — Senior Day in Boone saw a thrilling women’s basketball matchup Feb. 24 between App State and visiting James Madison. The Mountaineers took down the third-place Dukes in a tight contest, 83-79.
App State was led by a 25-point, nine-assists performance from Faith Alston in what could be her last appearance in the Holmes Center. Alston was joined by fellow senior Taylor Lewis, who netted a career-high 23 points in her final sendoff. Lewis also grabbed a team-best eight rebounds.
App State netted a team-best 25 points in the Mountaineers’ Senior Day victory over James Madison Feb. 24. Photographic image by Kristin Shaffer, courtesy of App State Athletics.
Jamia Hazell posted a team-best 19 points for JMU, while fellow junior Ashanti Barnes notched a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.
The first quarter set the tone for what proved to be a nail-biter. James Madison jumped out to an early, five-point lead at the media break, but App State responded with a 9-0 run to push into the lead. A critical defensive stop by senior Mariah Frazier sparked that run, but the lead didn’t hold for long. The Dukes fought their way back, tying the game at 23 to end the first quarter.
JMU was plagued by poor shooting in the second period. The Dukes grabbed eight offensive rebounds in the quarter, compared to App State’s three, but shot just 29 percent from the field. The Mountaineers were able to hold JMU scoreless over the last two minutes of the half, taking a four-point lead into the locker room.
App State was able to pull away in the third quarter despite the Dukes tying the game late in the period. Faith Alston took over early out of the intermission, scoring 10 of the Mountaineers’ first 15 points. Taylor Lewis then took the reins, hitting three shots from beyond the arc over the last four minutes of the frame. The last of those treys punctuated an App State 7-0 run to secure an eight-point advantage at the third quarter buzzer.
The Mountaineers extended their lead early in the final stanza, but JMU proved they were still in the fight. Trailing by 12, the Dukes scored each of the next 10 points to make the game a two-point affair. Despite the rally, App State held the visitors to just one made shot from the floor over the final four minutes of play, securing a hard-fought, Senior Day win.
Angel Elderkin coaches her team during App State’s Feb. 24 victory over James Madison. Photographic image by Kristin Shaffer, courtesy of App State Athletics.
App State head coach shared her perspective of the Mountaineers’ adjustments following their Feb. 22 loss to Old Dominion.
“Yesterday was a mental day, and yesterday was a day of ‘let’s not let Old Dominion beat us twice,’” Elderkin said. “I felt like, the first time we played the series between Old Dominion and JMU, we went into the JMU game with a little bit of an Old Dominion hangover, per se. So we said we gotta turn the page.”
“When Taylor is on, Taylor is on”
Seniors Faith Alston and Taylor Lewis accounted for more than half of App State’s offensive production, scoring 48 of the Mountaineers’ 83 total points. Alston praised Lewis’ scoring output.
“When Taylor is on, Taylor is on, you can’t really stop Taylor,” Alston said. “It took a while to get her confidence back, get back in her groove after breaking her hand early in the season. But for the past four or five games, she’s just been lighting it up. She’s the Taylor that we saw in the summer and in the first two games before she got hurt.”
Senior Taylor Lewis scored a career-high 23 points in the Mountaineers’ Feb. 24 victory over James Madison. Photographic image by Colby Suchla, courtesy of App State Athletics.
Alston also spoke on what she saw on the court in her 25-point performance.
“I look for my shots, I take them but if I need to pass it, I need to pass it,” Alston said. “Today my shot felt good, so I stepped in with confidence. I know that whether it’s a make or a miss my teammates always have my back.”
Fellow App State senior Mariah Frazier was a key defensive piece for the Mountaineers. She credited her team for App State’s crucial stops in the closing minutes of the game.
“I just see a whole group, a whole unit just working together,” Frazier said. “I know that Coach Angel told me about setting the tone on defense, just making sure I’m the energy on defense. I think the whole team really matched my energy, and even surpassed my energy sometimes, and was able to make some key stops down the stretch. It wasn’t a one-man thing.”
“[She] stars — I’ll say it again — stars in her role”
Elderkin had high remarks for Frazier’s character and ability to play her role well.
“She’s a kid that’s graduating from graduate school in three years,” Elderkin said. “Very driven, very hard worker. And stars — I’ll say it again — stars in her role. A lot of her role doesn’t show up in [the box score], but it shows up on the court.”
As a team, App State shot 39 percent from the floor, short of the Duke’s 44 percent mark. The Mountaineers made stops when they needed to, forcing 12 JMU turnovers to just eight of their own. The Dukes outrebounded App State, 48-42.
James Madison’s loss drops them to 11-5 in conference play, good for a third-place tie with Old Dominion. The Dukes’ next test is a road trip to Conway, SC to face Coastal Carolina Feb. 28. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m., and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.
App State improves to 8-8 in Sun Belt competition, placing them ninth in the conference standings. The Mountaineers go on the road for their last two contests of the regular season, beginning with a trip to Troy Feb. 28. The mid-week Sun Belt matchup is slated to tipoff at 8 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
By Jacob Plecker. RALEIGH N.C. – A three-run first inning got the day started for App State Softball, and Kaylie Northrop kept Iona’s bats silent in a 7-0 win over the Gaels in the Wolfpack Classic on Saturday afternoon.
The App State-Cleveland State game also scheduled for Saturday has been moved to a 1 p.m. start time Sunday, and the Mountaineers will face host NC State at 3:30 p.m.
Five of the seven RBIs from the Mountaineers (6-4) on Saturday came from the first three batters in the lineup. Kayt Houston led the way by tallying two hits, one of which was a home run, and recording two RBIs. Peyton Darnell had a similar performance with two hits and two RBIs. Grace Barrett added one hit and one RBI out of the No. 2 spot in the order.
Northrop was dominant in the circle throughout the game. The strikeout pitch was working all game for Northrop, as she racked up 10 in her complete-game performance. While Iona had at least one runner reach base in five of the seven innings, Northrop and the Mountaineer defense kept the Gaels (0-1) off the scoreboard, stranding all eight batters that reached.
App State kept the pressure on all game, as it had a runner reach base in all seven innings, but the strong start would prove to be the difference in the win.
How it Happened
App State scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back. After a leadoff walk from Houston and a single from Barrett, Darnell doubled to center field, scoring both. Three batters later, Olivia Cook singled through the right side, bringing in Darnell.
The offensive attack continued in the second inning, when Houston doubled to the left-center gap and moved to third on the throw home, scoring Abby Cunningham, who had reached on a single. Houston scored off a Barrett RBI groundout to the second baseman.
The Gaels threatened in the bottom of the fourth inning. After the leadoff batter reached on an error, the following batter singled to left field. After a fielder’s choice moved both runners into scoring position, Northrop got a swinging strikeout to end the frame.
Houston padded App State’s lead in the top of the fourth, homering to right field for her fifth long ball of the season. The Black and Gold got some insurance in the top of the seventh, when Addie Wray singled through the left side to score Summer Simpson, who had run for Darnell after a leadoff single.
The Mountaineers threatened again in the seventh following Wray’s RBI single and a Brooke Kennerly walk to load the bases. A lineout ended the inning and left the bases loaded, but the Mountaineers had extended their lead to seven before the third out.
Northrop returned to the mound for the bottom of the seventh, getting a groundout, strikeout and flyout to end the game and cap off a dazzling performance.
Up Next
App State will complete its weekend at the Wolfpack Classic with a doubleheader on Sunday. The Mountaineers will take on Cleveland State at 1 p.m., and a matchup with the hosting Wolfpack from NC State is slated for 3:30 p.m.
By Matt Present. HICKORY, N.C. — App State Baseball rode strong arms on the mound and timely opportunities on the basepaths to a 9-4 win against Siena on Saturday afternoon at L.P. Frans Stadium.
The Mountaineers (5-1) clinched their second straight weekend series victory to open the 2024 campaign and will look to sweep Siena (0-5) in Sunday’s finale in Hickory. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Jackson Steensma, last year’s closer who has moved into the weekend starting rotation this season, earned his first win as a Mountaineer starter. He allowed just one first-inning run before shutting down the Saints over the next four innings and racking up five strikeouts.
sEVEN OF NINE aPP sTATE STARTERS REACHED BASE, OFFENSIVELY.
Head coach Kermit Smith turned to the bullpen for the final four frames and got solid work from Grey LaSpaluto, Everette Harris and Zach Lewis, who combined to allow three runs on three hits with three strikeouts.
Seven of nine starters reached base for App State’s offense, led by shortstop Adam Quintero’s 1-for-4 day that included his second home run of the year. He scored twice, drove in two runs and flashed the leather with a pair of unassisted double plays and a nice sliding grab to cut down a runner at second.
Banks Tolley went 1-for-3, reached base twice on a hit by pitch and scored three times. Drew Holderbach went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, and Tommy Walker drove in two and stole two bases.
App State took advantage of four Saints errors in the contest, scoring two runs in the bottom of the third and four more in the seventh and eighth innings with help from Siena fielding miscues.
After Siena jumped ahead on a first-inning solo home run, the App State bats picked up where they left off from Friday’s 15-run performance by plating two in the second inning on a Walker single that drove in Holderbach and Quintero for Walker’s first hit and RBIs of the young season.
The 2-1 advantage was all Steensma and Co. needed.
In the top of the fifth, Siena threatened to cut into App State’s lead when a runner tried to score from first on a double to left, but a perfectly executed Boyd-to-Quintero-to-Walker relay cut down the Siena runner in front of home plate to keep the Saints off the board.
After Siena tacked on a run in the top of the sixth, Quintero led off the bottom of the frame with a blast over the right-field wall to extend the Mountaineers’ lead to 5-2.
By Jacob Plecker. RALEIGH, N.C. – After numerous delays and time changes, the App State Mountaineers finally took the field at the Wolfpack Classic and struck for four runs in the first inning to jump in front early against the Cleveland State Vikings. Then, Sejal Neas took over in the circle and mowed down the Viking bats, leading the Mountaineers to a 4-2 win on Friday.
The Vikings (2-4) struck first with an RBI single, but six straight baserunners in the bottom of the inning allowed the Mountaineers (5-4) to plate a four-spot in the inning to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Two-RBI singles by both Peyton Darnell and Olivia Cook helped spark the Black and Gold to the crooked number in the first.
With a lead after her first inning of work, Sejal Neas pitched marvelously en route to her second win of the season. Overall, Neas left six runners on base while also retiring 14 of the final 15 batters she faced to close the game. She was resilient all game in the circle as she escaped multiple jams, including stranding two in scoring position in the second inning to keep the Vikings off the board.
The Mountaineer offense loaded the bases in two separate innings and had at least one runner on in every inning, putting pressure on the Vikings all game. Six different players recorded at least one hit in the weekend-opener with Kayt Houston’s two-hit day leading the way.
How it Happened
In Neas’ fourth start of the season, it was Cleveland State who got the scoring started on Friday as they strung together a pair of hits to open play. Neas bounced back strongly after allowing the run, tallying her first of five strikeouts on the game to end the inning.
Neas’ strikeout to limit the damage proved vital as the Mountaineer offense immediately paid off her work with four first-inning runs. First, it was Houston who roped a single into left field to start the game and Grace Barrett reached first on a fielder’s choice to put two runners on with no one out. Darnell then stepped to the plate and cleared the bases with a hard-hit single into the center that scored Houston. Barrett came around to score on the play as well, using aggressive baserunning to capitalize on a Viking error to give App State the lead.
Walks to both Killian Roberts and Taylor Thorp loaded the bases in the first inning for Olivia Cook, who delivered a single into right that plated two. Cook’s opposite-field approach helped drive in her sixth and seventh runs this year.
The Vikings eventually got out of the inning, but six baserunners, three hits and four runs from the Mountaineers gave App State its first lead of the game after one.
Now with the lead, Neas came back out in the second and kept the Vikings at bay, stranding two runners in the inning. The Vikings’ first two runners reached base and were moved to second and third with just one out, but Neas’ ability to miss barrels led to two straight weak fly balls that ended the threat and maintained the three-run lead after two.
Fired up after Neas’s solid inning of work, Abby Cunningham drew a walk to lead off the second inning after a seven-pitch battle. Grace Barrett then singled to center and Darnell reached base for the second time of the game to load the bases for the second consecutive inning. But just as Neas did in her half of the inning, Viking starting pitcher Holzopfel stranded the bases loaded to keep the Mountaineer lead at three.
The first two Vikings reached base in the third inning, putting another runner in scoring position against Neas. Neas got the next hitter to ground the ball back to her and she calmly fired to third to get the lead runner for the first out. Despite the nice play on defense, Gilkerson singled into right field to bring in Cleveland State’s second run. Gilkerson’s single would be the second-to-last runner that reached against Neas in the game.
Neas retired the Vikings in order in the fourth inning, racking up another strikeout in the process, which allowed the Mountaineer bats to come back to the plate. Looking to add on, Houston smoked a double to the left-field fence to lead off the inning, putting a runner in scoring position with no one out. It was Houston’s eighth double of the young season.
Holzopfel did well to escape the Mountaineer rally in the fifth, but the Vikings couldn’t crack Neas in the fifth as she worked around a one-out walk to retire the side in the fifth.
After a one-out walk in the fifth, Neas settled in and retired each of the last eight hitters she saw. An eight-pitch sixth inning and a clean seventh inning capped off her fourth complete game and second win of the season.
The Mountaineers’ hot start and another solid outing from the defense helped lead App State to its fifth win in the last six games. Neas needed just 99 pitches to complete the game.
Up Next
App State continues play at the Wolfpack Classic with a doubleheader on Saturday. App State will take on Iona for the first time ever in game 1 while a rematch with Cleveland State caps off the day. First pitch against Iona is slated for 1 p.m.
By Zach Smith. BOONE, N.C. — Coming off a dominant victory over Georgia State in their last outing, App State looked to build momentum with a win over Old Dominion on Feb. 22. The Mountaineers were unable to do that, falling to the Monarchs, 81-62.
App State saw three players log double-digit points. Junior Emily Carver netted a team-high 14 points, while senior Faith Alston and sophomore Alexis Black each scored 10. Rylan Moffitt and Mariah Frazier each grabbed eight rebounds, while Alston dished out six assists.
App State junior Emily Carver scored a team-best 14 points in the Mountaineers’ Feb. 22 loss to Old Dominion. Photographic image by Taylor Newton, courtesy of App State Athletics.
Old Dominion was led by a 17-point, eight-rebound performance from Brenda Fontana. En’Dya Buford also scored 17, while Simone Cunningham and Mimi McCollister scored 10 apiece to round out the Monarch scoring effort. Cunningham tacked on a team-best 10 rebounds to secure a double-double.
App State scored the game’s first five points before ODU took their first lead of the contest with an 8-0 run of their own. The Mountaineers countered with back-to-back three-pointers to jump back in front — but that proved to be their final lead of the evening. The Monarchs out-scored App State by eight through the rest of the first quarter, and took a five-point advantage into the second.
The second period remained a close contest. The Mountaineers never fell behind by more than six points in the frame, bringing the game within a point on two separate occasions. Late in the half, App State had a chance to tie the contest as En’Dya Buford was called for a tech after committing a shooting foul. Behind by four, The Mountaineers knocked down three of their four shots from the stripe, securing a one-point deficit at the halftime buzzer.
Things fell apart quickly for App State out of the locker room. ODU scored 21 of the first 24 points of the second half, turning the game on its head early in the third quarter. The Mountaineers hit just two shots from the floor in the stanza, and ODU out-scored the home side by 16 in that time.
Things didn’t get much better in the final ten minutes to play. For the second quarter in a row, App State hit just two shots from the field. Old Dominion defeated the Mountaineers by 19, securing their 19th victory on the 2023-24 campaign.
Junior Zada Porter directing her team in App State’s Feb. 22 loss to Old Dominion. Photographic image by Taylor Newton, courtesy of App State Athletics.
App State head coach Angel Elderkin praised the visitors for their performance, postgame.
“I say a lot ‘chance favors the aggressor,’ and I thought Old Dominion was super aggressive,” Elderkin said. “Hats off to them in terms of the job that they did defensively. Our offense has been on fire lately, and they really put that fire out tonight.”
Elderkin went on to talk about what changed out of the locker room at the start of the second half.
“Their three-point shooting ability,” Elderkin said. “They’re a team that averages five made threes [per game] and they hit us for 10. In the first quarter they came out hot. We felt good in the second quarter because we held them without one. Everything that could go wrong in the third quarter went wrong.”
“Our offense has been on fire lately, and they really put that fire out tonight”
App State saw shooting struggles for the first time in recent contests. Elderkin spoke on the cause of her team’s scoring difficulty against Old Dominion’s conference-best defense.
“I think it was a lot to do with their athleticism,” Elderkin said. “I don’t think we got as many clean, open shots, I think they’re there on the catch. They do a good job of defending the three-point line and they do a good job of just guarding the basketball.”
As a team, App State shot at just a 27 percent mark, compared to ODU’s impressive 46 percent clip. The Monarchs outrebounded the Mountaineers, 54-35, and dished out 17 assists, topping App State’s eight.
With the victory, Old Dominion are winners of four of their last five games. The Monarchs hold sole possession of fourth place in the Sun Belt, a position that would earn them a double-bye in the conference tournament. ODU travels to Atlanta Feb. 24 to face Georgia State for their last road test of the regular season. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m., and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.
App State’s loss drops them to a 7-8 record in conference play. The Mountaineers remain in position to skip the first round of the Sun Belt tournament, and need just one win or a Georgia Southern loss to secure that position. App State returns to play Feb. 24 against James Madison for Senior Day. The game is slated to tipoff at 2 p.m., and can be streamed on ESPN+.
By Jacob Plecker. NORFOLK, Va. — With Old Dominion ahead by two at the 10:10 mark in the second half, CJ Huntley’s hustle play off a missed free throw led to an open three-pointer by Terence Harcum, giving App State a one-point lead. That dagger from long distance sparked a 21-6 run from the App State Mountaineers as they raced past ODU for an 82-67 road win on Feb. 22.
App State’s (23-5, 13-2 SBC) road conference win marks win No.13 in Sun Belt play this season. That breaks the previous record for Sun Belt wins in a season set in 2021-22. It also secures the first winning season on the road for the Mountaineers since the 2009-10 campaign. With Thursday’s win over Old Dominion (6-22, 2-13 SBC), the Mountaineers are one of just 10 Division I teams with at least 23 wins.
Hartley’s hustle was all the spark the Mountaineers needed.
Terence Harcum’s 18 points after intermission fueled App State’s second-half barrage as he buried four threes in the final 20 minutes, including three in the first 10 minutes — leading to a 22-point game. Harcum has played in two games at Chartway Arena and posted 28-point and 22-point performances, giving him an average of 25 points a game in Chartway Arena in his career.
The Mountaineers buried nine of 18 threes they attempted on the night, marking the second consecutive game that App State has shot 50 percent from behind the arc. Three players hit multiple threes: Harcum, Donovan Gregory, and Myles Tate. Harcum’s four threes were his eighth game this season with at least three made from behind the arc leads the team. App State has won 11 straight games in which they shoot at least 40 percent from three.
Offensive rebounding played a huge role in App State’s 23rd win of the season as the Mountaineers used 16 offensive rebounds to get 19 second-chance points. CJ Huntley kept multiple possessions alive in the game, picking up six offensive boards, which is a season-high.
The Mountaineers shot 50 percent (9 of 18 attempts) from behind the arc.
Overall, two players recorded double-digit rebounding performances, with Tre’Von Spillers tallying his eighth double-double of the season. His eight double-doubles this season are the most by a Mountaineer in a season since Isaac Johnson tallied eight in 2019-20.
How It Happened
It was ODU who kicked off the scoring in the Mountaineers’ final road trip of the year as Chaunce Jenkins hit a three to open play at Chartway Arena. But Spillers quickly got his night going, scoring two easy buckets to get App State on the board and tie things up at five by the 16:53 mark.
Both teams struggled to score as play hit the first media break, with neither team tallying a basket for over three minutes. Myles Tate and Christopher Mantis broke the drought. Mantis’ 3-pointer gave App State its largest lead of the game to that point, at five.
ODU retook the lead at 12-10 by the 10:06 mark of the first half but Gregory’s finish through contact in the lane brought the Mountaineers back ahead by one. The Monarchs, who have played their opponents tough recently despite the poor record, worked back ahead by three as play hit the under-eight timeout. Jenkins’ 10th point of the first half sent things to the break.
Myles Tate and Christopher Mantis broke the scoring drought.
After Jordan Marsh buried two free throws, Harcum’s first points of the game pushed the Mountaineers back ahead by two by the 4:07 mark. A put-back bucket by Spillers jumped the lead up to four as the final media timeout came. The Mountaineers were +15 in the first half with Spillers on the court, feeding off his energy on the offensive glass to get easy baskets.
The lead changed hands seven times in the first half but Spillers’ put-back gave App State the spark it needed to finish the stanza. After two free throws from Tyrone Williams, the Mountaineers scored the final four points to close the half with its largest lead of seven, capped off by Tate’s step-back three.
Three-point shooting in the first half played well for App State as 25 percent of their first-half points came via the three-ball. Gregory’s season-high two first-half threes helped fuel the Mountaineers during cold stretches as he led the way in the first half with nine.
Defensively, the Mountaineers held the Monarchs to just 34 percent from the field and 27 percent from three. Because of this, the Mountaineers took a lead into the halftime break for the 17th time this season. Heading into App State’s visit to ODU, the Mountaineers were 15-1 when leading at the half.
Despite the Monarchs scoring the first points of the final half, it was Harcum who found his rhythm. He nailed two shots from long distance almost immediately after the break to give him 10 points for the game to that point. ODU fought to trim the lead to just two by the 14:57 mark, but a third Harcum 3-pointer ballooned App State ahead by five as he started to catch fire.
App State took a three-point lead into the first media timeout of the final half but the competitiveness of the Monarchs tied the game at 50 apiece with 11:52 to go in the final frame. Despite the spurt from ODU, the Mountaineers maintained their lead at the under-12-minute break courtesy of a Spillers steal and a Marsh driving layup through contact on a sweet finish.
ODU took its first lead since the score was 23-20 in the first half, using a 13-5 run to jump back in front after a Dani Pounds dunk. A four-point possession, however, brought App State back in front as a free throw from Gregory and a hustle play that led to Harcum’s fourth three of the half gave App State the lead heading into the under-eight timeout.
Huntley’s hustle was all the spark the Mountaineers needed to build separation as App State outscored the Monarchs by 12 before the next timeout. Huntley continued to leave his mark on the game as he threw down two huge hammers consecutively during the run to give him six points. A huge alley-oop jam from Spillers capped off the big stretch by App State as he and Huntley combined to jolt Chartway Arena in the final stages of the game.
The Mountaineers jumped ahead by as much as 17 late in the game, continuing to run away from the reeling Monarchs as they went on an extended 19-2 run down the stretch. Harcum continued his second-half heroics in Norfolk as he eclipsed 20 points for the game by the 2:17 mark.
When the final horn sounded, the Mountaineers had pulled away with a 15-point victory. The win marked App State’s 15th double-digit victory of the season. It was also App State’s 13th Sun Belt victory, which is the most Sun Belt wins App State has recorded since joining the league in 2014 and the most conference wins in a season since 2009-10.
Top Performers
For the 16th time this season, all nine players who touched the floor for the Black and Gold recorded a point.
Additionally, four players reached double-figures, which is the 34th game in a row App State has seen multiple double-figure scorers.
Terence Harcum’s 18-point second-half barrage paced App State as he posted a game-high 22, marking his fourth 20-point game in conference play.
Myles Tate’s near-perfect night helped him finish with 14 points but he also recorded five assists and six rebounds. Tate needs just one more assist for 100 this season.
Tre’Von Spillers continued to be a force down low for head coach Dustin Kerns as his 12 points and 11 rebounds marked his eighth double-double of the year. Spillers’ effort and hustle were huge as App State outscored ODU by 26 points with Spillers on the floor.
Next Up
App State heads to Huntington, W. Va., for a battle with the Marshall Thundering Herd in what will be the Mountaineers’ third nationally televised game of the season. It will also be the second meeting in the last nine days between the Mountaineers and Thundering Herd. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
By Matt Present. HIGH POINT, N.C. — The smoothness of the three-up-three-down second inning wouldn’t have signaled anything out of the ordinary, but the embraces in the dugout moments later told a different story. Using his patented curveball to get a swinging strike three to end the inning, Tyler Tuthill capped off his long-awaited return to the mound in App State’s 7-1 win over High Point.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery in July of 2022, the veteran left-hander was forced to watch the entirety of the 2023 season from the dugout. But in the fourth game of 2024, Tuthill, donning his familiar No. 21 uniform and Block A cap made his return to the bump, providing a triumphant conclusion to an arduous rehab process.
App State (3-1) already had an early lead when Tuthill entered. In fact, they led 3-0 three batters into the ballgame. CJ Boyd led off the afternoon by reaching on an infield single, and Austin St. Laurent followed with a double to the gap in left-center field. That set up Banks Tolley who launched his first home run of the season to deep left field.
Tyler Tuthill. Photo courtesy of App State Athletics
Redshirt freshman Carter Boyd started the game for App State. Boyd induced three ground ball outs in the first inning, working around a hit batter, to post a scoreless frame in his first outing for the Mountaineers.
App State used the long ball again to pad their lead in the third. After a walk to Tolley led off the frame, Braxton Church cranked a two-run homer to right field, his second homer of the season, to push the advantage to 5-0.
The Mountaineers pitching staff meanwhile did not allow a hit until the sixth inning, when Cael Chatham homered off of Trey Tujetch, who had worked 2.2 scoreless innings to that point. Tujetch allowed two base runners thereafter, but App State minimized the damage as Collin Welch wiggled out of a bases loaded jam to end the frame.
Photo courtesy of App State Athletics
Welch went on to work 1.2 scoreless innings before turning the ball over to Cody Little, who worked a scoreless eighth inning. Zach Lewis escaped a bases loaded jam in the ninth, striking out two in a scoreless frame to end the ballgame. App State pitchers allowed just three hits on the day.
Meanwhile the offense plated a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Tolley led off the inning with a double, and Drew Holderbach doubled him home later in the frame. After Holderbach advanced to third on a wild pitch, Adam Quintero lifted a sacrifice fly to center to make it 7-1.
St. Laurent led the offense with a 3-for-4 day, while Tolley reached base four times on two hits and a pair of walks.
For the third consecutive season, App State will host a game in Hickory, as it faces off with Siena in a three-game weekend series, Feb. 23-25. First pitch on Friday is set for 3 p.m. with action on Saturday and Sunday slated to begin at 1 p.m. All three games will feature an audio broadcast on appstatesports.com.
By Zach Smith. BOONE, N.C. — Education Day in Boone didn’t go as planned for App State. With just over 1,000 elementary school students from around the High Country in attendance for the Feb. 15 matchup, the Mountaineers fell to Marshall, 87-78.
App State was led by a career-high 24-point performance from sophomore guard Alexis Black. Guards Emily Carver (19) and Faith Alston (13) joined Black as Mountaineers to reach double-figures. Sophomore forward Rylan Moffitt grabbed a team-best 14 rebounds, swatting away three shots in the process.
Marshall guard Abby Beeman led the way for the Herd with 21 points and nine rebounds. Beeman and senior guard Breanna Campbell each dished out a team-high six assists.
The first quarter looked more like a three-point shootout than a college basketball game. Following a 90 second period of back-and-forth scores in the paint, App State senior guard Taylor Lewis opened the floodgates with the game’s first shot from beyond the arc. Each of the Mountaineers’ next four makes from the field were from deep, leading the home side to a 20-10 lead at the first media break. Out of the break, Marshall turned things around in their favor, cashing in on four consecutive deep-balls in a row while holding App State scoreless. The Thundering Herd held a two-point advantage at the first quarter buzzer.
Marshall continued their impressive scoring run early in the second frame, scoring each of the first five points to extend their streak to 17 consecutive points. App State then went on an 11-2 run before the Herd scored another 10 points in a row. The Mountaineers clawed their way back, scoring nine of the final 10 tallies of the half. Both sides went into the locker room with 40 points each.
The third period continued the game of back-and-forth runs. Rylan Moffitt opened the half with a layup while Marshall’s Sydni Scott followed with another three-pointer. App State then scored the next seven points before Tamia Layhorne drained back-to-back shots from beyond the arc for the Thundering Herd. A period of back-and-forth scoring led to a three-point Mountaineer lead before Meredith Maier hit a trey at the buzzer, tying the game entering the final quarter.
App State seemed to run out of steam in the final ten minutes. Marshall’s Sun Belt-best offense took over, extending The Herd’s lead to as many as 17 points. The Mountaineers held the visitors without a made shot from the field over the final two minutes, but the damage was done. Marshall retained their top spot in the conference, defeating App State on the road.
App State head coach Angel Elderkin shared her thoughts on the matchup postgame.
“Marshall is a really good basketball team, their style presents a lot of challenges,” Elderkin said. “The experience at their place I thought gave us the gameplan to be ready to execute at home. For the most part, you know, from an effort standpoint, I thought our kids left everything they had on the court and for that, I’m proud.”
Elderkin went on to explain what she thought could’ve been better for the Mountaineers.
“There’s two areas that we continue to talk about with our group in order for us to go from being a good team to a great team,” Elderkin said. “It’s taking care of the basketball, you saw us today with 26 turnovers, and then it’s rebounding. You know, I thought their effort on the boards was better than ours. We won the rebounding, but to [allow] 13 offensive rebounds for 18 second-chance points was not part of the plan.”
Referring to Alexis Black’s career-best 24 points in the game, Elderkin provided an insight on Black’s improvement over her two seasons as a Mountaineer.
“When we first started, she was trying to find that consistency, and she’s given that,” Elderkin said. “She’s continuing to get better, she’s getting in the gym, she’s providing another threat for us. And so I thought [her performance] was big.”
App State began one of the toughest portions of their schedule in the loss to Marshall. Including Thursday’s loss, the Mountaineers play consecutive games against each of the top five teams in the Sun Belt standings. Elderkin spoke on what it will take for her squad to bounce back and be prepared for their next test against Georgia State.
“The Sun Belt presents several women’s teams in the top of the country,” Elderkin said. “And so, it’s a completely different game on Saturday (Feb. 17). So, like I’ve been all season, you know, I can’t hem and haw over this Marshall game, because Georgia State’s not Marshall. You know, they’re a different version of Georgia State, which is a very, very good basketball team.”
Despite the loss, App State continued to shoot at a high mark. Their 44 percent mark from the field bested Marshall’s 39 percent clip. The Mountaineers outrebounded the Thundering Herd, 43-34, but Marshall’s 13 offensive boards topped App State’s 11 second-chance opportunities. App State turned the ball over 26 times leading to 29 Marshall points.
With the win, Marshall holds their position at the top of the Sun Belt standings. The next test on the Herd’s four-game road trip is a matchup with Old Dominion Feb. 17. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m., and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.
App State falls to 6-7 in conference play with their loss to Marshall. The Mountaineers kicked off a four-game homestand, with their next battle against Georgia State coming Feb. 17. The game will be the first part of an App State basketball doubleheader with the men’s team. The Mountaineers’ and Panthers’ battle is slated for 2 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
By Zach Smith. BOONE, N.C. — On a day full of marquee matchups in college hoops, over 5,000 High Country fans witnessed what might have been the best of them all.
App State played host to Toledo on Feb. 10 in the Holmes Convocation Center for the second leg of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. The Mountaineers defeated the Rockets in a double-overtime, instant classic, 109-104.
App State was led by a “vintage” 24-point performance from fifth-year forward Donovan Gregory, who was one of six Mountaineers to reach double-digit points. Gregory was joined by Myles Tate (20), Jordan Marsh (17), Terence Harcum (16), CJ Huntley (13) and Justin Abson (11) as top scorers for App State. Tate and Abson recorded seven rebounds each, while Marsh joined Abson in dishing out a team-best four assists.
Donovan Gregory posted a team-high 24 points in App State’s Feb. 10 victory over Toledo. Photographic image by Flaco Rafael for High Country Sports.
Toledo also saw six players log at least 10 points: Dante Maddox Jr. (25), Tyler Cochran (17), Sonny Wilson (17), Ra’Heim Moss (16), Javan Simmons (15) and André Lorentsson (10). Simmons added a game-high 10 rebounds to notch a double-double in the contest, while Maddox Jr. tacked on a game-high five assists.
Strength vs. Strength
Entering Saturday’s matchup, Toledo had the top-rated scoring offense in the MAC, while App State had the Sun Belt’s best defense. The game was shaping up to be a battle of the bests on both sides of the ball, but the offenses quickly took over.
Following a rough start for App State that saw Toledo jump out in front by five points, the Mountaineers responded with a 7-0 run. Each of the final four shots leading to the first media break resulted in a lead change, a trend that continued throughout the game. Toledo forced App State to adapt to their style of play but the Mountaineers’ 76 percent field goal shooting proved the home side was up to the task. And yet, despite App State’s impressive shooting clip, the Rockets took a 47-46 lead into halftime.
Both sides kept their foot on the gas pedal through the first six minutes of the second period. The Rockets went on a scoring tear through the second media timeout, cashing in on 12 of 14 shots approaching the “under-eight minutes” media timeout.
The App State fans looked on, nervously. With an 11-point lead, Toledo looked to upset the hometown favorites. After a period of back-and-forth scoring that saw the Mountaineers come back to within nine points, App State evened the game via a 9-0 run over the final 90 seconds of regulation. So, with the score knotted at 90-90, at least one five-minute overtime period was required to decide the victor.
“Winning is hard”
Overtime opened with a quick, step-back jumper from Myles Tate, but the Rockets’ Tyler Cochran responded with a midrange make of his own. Toledo eventually went on a 5-0 run to take a three-point advantage before Donovan Gregory cashed in on a floater while drawing a foul — and he knocked down the resulting “and-one” opportunity. Following a quick transition layup from Jordan Marsh, Toledo’s Sonny Wilson converted on a jumper to tie the game at 99. Gregory drew a foul with two seconds on the clock, but missed both free-throws, sending the game to a second overtime period.
What proved to be the final, five minutes of OT began with Justin Abson’s sixth block of the afternoon, setting the tone for the final minutes. Toledo took a 104-103 lead, but App State finished the extra minutes with a 6-0 run to complete one of the most exciting, memorable games to be played at the Holmes Center.
Mountaineer junior Myles Tate was one of two 20-point scorers in App State’s 2OT victory over Toledo. Photographic image by Flaco Rafael for High Country Sports.
App State head coach Dustin Kerns was complimentary of Toledo’s program postgame.
“It was just an awesome college basketball game between two really good teams,” Kerns said. “You know, Toledo has won their league three straight years, they’re one of the best programs. They’re a program that we try to model ourselves after.”
The Mountaineers’ victory marked their 20th on the 2023-24 campaign, their first time reaching that milestone since the 2009-10 season. Kerns spoke on what that means to the team, but explained that their work isn’t finished.
“I think it’s a big deal because we did it on Feb. 10,” Kerns said. “You know, I think that’s a big deal. There’s a month left in the season, so we’ve got to keep going. We’ve got to stay hungry for more but I think to get 20 wins sometimes comes in the last week of the season. Winning is hard.”
Terence Harcum fires a three-pointer in the Mountaineers’ thrilling Feb. 10 victory over Toledo. Photographic image by Flaco Rafael for High Country Sports.
Kerns tested different player combinations and defensive schemes against an unfamiliar opponent. He settled on a look with four guards, led by freshman Jordan Marsh, to keep up with Toledo’s fast-paced offense. Kerns shared his perspective on the different looks the Mountaineers employed early in the first half.
“Jordan gave us a big spark,” Kerns said. “You know, certainly Xavion [Brown] and Tre’Von [Spillers] did not have their best game, but that’s part of the strength of our team. Everybody’s human, everybody’s not gonna (always) play their best game, but somebody else can step up.”
“we’ve won in different ways this year”
App State was forced to do something they haven’t had to do through the majority of the season — keep up with a high-powered offense. Kerns focused on his team’s ability to adapt to a different style of play than they’ve been used to. At times, Kerns said, Toledo used schemes that were not seen on film in preparing for this tilt.
“Fortunately, we’ve won in different ways this year,” Kerns said. “We’ve won ‘grind it out’ games, like James Madison, 59-55 (Jan. 13). We’ve won a shootout and that could keep going. We’ve found different ways to win games.”
As a team, App State made 61 percent of their shots from the field, compared to Toledo’s 49 percent clip. The Rockets outrebounded the Mountaineers, 37-36, led by 12 offensive boards. App State’s biggest advantage came from bench scoring as the Mountaineers’ reserves scored 50 points, compared to Toledo’s 14 points off substitutions. The double-overtime thriller saw 17 lead changes, with 16 different ties throughout the afternoon.
With the loss, Toledo falls to 15-9 on the season. The Rockets return to MAC action Feb. 16, as they travel home for an in-state matchup with Ohio University. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m., and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
App State’s win puts them back into the win column following a loss at Texas State Feb. 7. The Mountaineers look to remain perfect at the Holmes Center Feb. 15, as they play host to Marshall. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m., and can be streamed on ESPN+.
