MBB: App State Tops Erskine 69-44

BOONE, N.C. — Donovan Gregory scored a season-high 16 points as App State men’s basketball topped Erskine 69-44 in its non-conference home finale on Monday evening.

Gregory finished 4-of-7 (57.1 percent) from the field and 8-of-9 (88.9 percent) from the free throw line. He added five rebounds and a pair of assists.

Adrian Delph added nine points, while Michael Almonacy, Justin Forrest and Terence Harcum each had eight points. Forrest also set the program record for games played, appearing in the 132nd contest of his career.

Michael Eads Jr. chipped in with six points and CJ Huntley also had six points, while adding five rebounds and a career-high tying three blocks.

The Mountaineers (6-5) broke a 6-6 tie early in the first half with a 5-0 run, getting a trey from Harcum and a layup from Forrest. After Erskine (1-8) pulled within a point at 13-12, App State answered with a 7-0 spurt to take a 20-12 lead with 3:30 left in the opening frame. The Black and Gold took a 30-17 lead into the break, scoring 10 of the last 12 points of the half.

In the second half, App State pushed its lead to 38-22 on a basket by Delph. Leading 39-26, the Mountaineers used a 12-0 run to extend their lead to 51-26 with just over 10 minutes to play. Following a Flying Fleet basket, App State answered with the next five points to build its advantage to 56-28. The Mountaineers opened as large of a lead as 31 points en route to the victory.

The Mountaineers limited Erskine to just 28.8 percent (17-of-59) shooting and a 5.6 percent (1-of-18) mark on 3-pointers. App State also recorded a season-high eight blocks and scored 16 points off of 17 Flying Fleet turnovers.

App State returns to action on Thursday evening at No. 2-ranked Duke. Tip is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.