MBB: App State Closes Homestand with Second Straight 20-Point Win

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January 12, 2025
FB: Christensen Joins App State as Associate Head Coach
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MBB: App State Closes Homestand with Second Straight 20-Point Win

 

 

Jan. 11, 2025

 

Contact: Jacob Plecker (pl*******@ap******.edu)

 

Online: https://appstatesports.com/news/2025/1/11/mens-basketball-app-state-closes-homestand-with-second-straight-20-point-win.aspx

 

Box Score: Attached 

 

Postgame Press Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkFojtDfgXc

 

BOONE, N.C. –  In one of its more complete performances of the 2024-25 season, the App State Mountaineers (9-7, 3-2 SBC) closed their homestand in dominant fashion, defeating the James Madison Dukes (9-8, 2-3 SBC) 86-66 at the Holmes Center on Saturday. App State’s 86 points marked the most it has scored against a Division I opponent this season and the second-highest point tally overall.
 
The Mountaineers shot the lights out on Saturday, shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 59 percent from three. Additionally, App State made 10 threes for the third consecutive game. During the Mountaineers’ current three-game winning streak, the Mountaineers have made 32 3-pointers on 62 attempts, which is good for a 52 percent clip.
 
App State’s defense shined yet again as it held the Dukes to 66 points, marking the eighth consecutive game in which the Mountaineer defense has held their opponent below 70 points. James Madison shot just 35 percent from the field for the game, the third straight contest in which App State has not let an opponent reach a 40 percent field-goal percentage. The Mountaineers held the Dukes’ three top scorers in Bryce Lindsay, Mark Freeman and Xavier Brown, who came into the game scoring 37 points combined, to just 13 combined points.
 
For the first time since Feb. 9, 2024, two different Mountaineers eclipsed 20 points in the same game as both CJ Huntley and Myles Tate scored 21 points to pace all scorers. Huntley provided his second straight electric first-half performance as 17 of his 21 points came in the first half. Joining Huntley and Tate in double figures was Jalil Beaubrun, who matched his season high against the Dukes with 16.
 
How it Happened
Braving the nasty weather outside that dumped nearly six inches of snow on the Boone ground the night before, Tate started the scoring in this contest, streaking to the basket for a layup. The Dukes responded with a pair of free throws to knot the game at two, but Alonzo Dodd tallied his first points to put App State up 4-2 with 18:11 to go in the opening half.
 
A pair of Tate free throws shot App State ahead four points, but the lead was short-lived as James Madison tallied five straight points to take a slim one-point lead with 17 minutes to go. App State quickly reclaimed the lead before the first media break thanks to a basket from Dior Conners that resulted in an and-one chance which he converted.
 
James Madison used a pair of baskets to jump back ahead by three out of the media timeout, but this run was quickly stemmed by Jamil Muttilib who buried a three from the right wing to tie the contest at 12. The Dukes and Lindsay responded to Muttilib’s shot with a three to take the lead back before Jackson Threadgill took a pass from Tate and streaked to the hoop for a score. Play hit the under-12 media timeout with the Dukes on top two after Elijah Hutchins-Everett recorded a basket.
 
Out of the timeout, the two teams endured a brief shooting drought as they combined to miss six straight shots. Dodd halted the spurt with a long three from the wing, giving the Mountaineers a two-point lead. Then Beaubrun got in on the action by torching the net with a three and Huntley made a layup to put the Mountaineers ahead five by the seven-minute mark, App State’s largest lead to that point.
 
After the break, Huntley began to make his presence known to close the half as the Huntersville, N.C., native scored 14 points over the final seven minutes. His strong close to the half started with a layup before he knocked home a three from the top of the key to shoot the Mountaineers ahead eight by the 5:56 mark.
 
Freeman closed the gap down to just three as action continued, but after a pair of Tate free throws, Huntley found himself open yet again and drained a long three off a Dodd assist to propel the Mountaineers back ahead by eight by the final media timeout. The Mountaineers extended their lead to double digits by the 3:49 mark thanks to Tate’s freebies.
 
Huntley’s third three of the contest rang true to put the Mountaineers ahead 14 with two minutes to play and then Threadgill intercepted a pass on a five-on-four runout by the Dukes and converted a quick layup on the other end to give App State a 16-point advantage. Huntley closed out his stellar first half by drilling his fourth first-half 3-pointer to give him 17 and ballooning the Mountaineers ahead 19 as the halftime horn sounded.
 
The Mountaineers closed out the opening half on an 11-0 run, forcing seven straight misses and two turnovers. App State’s 49 first-half points marked the most it has scored in a half against a Division I opponent this season. Capitalizing off turnovers proved to be the deciding factor in the first half as the Mountaineer defense forced 10 Duke turnovers which led to 20 App State points on the other end.
 
Continuing the dominant run to close the first half, the Mountaineers scored the second half’s first five points to quickly extend their lead to 24 by the 18:20 mark. Beaubrun scored the half’s first three points before Huntley powered home a strong dunk off a dime from Tate.
 
JMU ended what was a 16-0 Mountaineer run with a basket by Hutchins-Everett, but another score from Tate and a free throw by Luke Wilson pushed App State ahead by 25 by the first media timeout. A long three by Tate helped the Mountaineers eclipse 60 points with 15 minutes to play, then a powerful jam by Beaubrun gave App State its largest lead of the game of 26 points at the 13:41 mark.
 
Beaubrun’s slam capped off an extended 24-6 run by App State to help it take control of the game. The Mountaineers’ suffocating defense led the Dukes to just 2-18 shooting over the 10-minute stretch. The run finally ended with a basket by AJ Smith.
 
Before the under-12 media timeout, the Dukes cut their deficit back to 21 thanks to baskets from Eddie Ricks III and Freeman, but baskets by Beaubrun and Wilson helped App State maintain its 23-point edge as the game clock dipped under 10 minutes. The Mountaineers eclipsed 70 points after Tate knocked down a floater in the paint.
 
Getting out in transition yet again, App State capitalized on a steal by Threadgill and raced down to the other end looking for another score. Finding the ball off the turnover, Threadgill struck the net for his first three, capping off his perfect day from the field as he shot 3-3 in the game.
 
App State reached the 80-point mark just before the final media timeout after Huntley recorded his 21st point of the game. It was the first time since Dec. 3 that the Mountaineers have reached 80 points in a game and the first time against a Division I opponent this season. The Dukes cut their deficit back within 20 for the first time since the score was 49-30 at halftime, but Conners’ three put a bow on the game as he buried his first three of the game.
 
Up convincingly, head coach Dustin Kerns emptied his bench for the final minute of action and when the buzzer sounded, the Mountaineers had claimed a convincing win. It marked the team’s 15th straight victory over a Sun Belt East opponent.
 
Top Performers 
The Mountaineers saw three different players reach double figures against the Dukes, which included two 20-point performances for the first time since Feb. 9, 2024. Both Huntley and Tate accounted for 21 points with Huntley shooting 8-12 from the field and 4-6 from three. Along with his 21 points, Tate also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out seven assists. Beaubrun poured in a season-best 16 points, matching the mark he set against UNCW on Nov. 30.
 
Up Next
Starting a season-long four-game road trip, the Mountaineers will head to Norfolk, Va., on Thursday to take on the Old Dominion Monarchs at Chartway Arena. Thursday’s game will be the third of four straight contests against Sun Belt East foes. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
 
The 2024-25 men’s basketball season is presented by Foscoe Companies.
 

 

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