MBB: App State’s Season Abruptly Ends with Loss to ODU
March 7, 2025
Contact: Jacob Plecker (pl*******@ap******.edu)
Box Score: Attached
PENSACOLA, Fla. – After taking a lead into halftime in Pensacola on Friday, the App State Men’s Basketball team suffered a 61-56 loss to the 10th-seeded Old Dominion Monarchs in the fourth round of the Sun Belt Tournament. App State (17-14) scored 36 points in the first half on 50 percent shooting from the field but scored only 20 points on 34.6 percent shooting in the second half.
The Mountaineers carried a five-point lead at the 8:48 mark of the final frame but scored just five points for the duration of the game. App State didn’t score for over six minutes in the second half after missing 10 of 11 shots from the 8:48 mark until the end of the game. This allowed Old Dominion (15-19) to storm ahead with a 9-0 scoring run. The Monarchs didn’t relinquish that lead for the rest of the game.
With just six seconds to play, Myles Tate, who tallied his 500th point of the season on Friday, got a great look from the field, but couldn’t hit the shot. ODU’s Sean Durugordon secured the rebound and made two free throws after being fouled to ice the game. Durugordon played a huge role in the Monarchs’ comeback as he tallied 13 points and six rebounds in just the second half, which included a key offensive rebound and putback with 1:49 to play after Tate had brought App State within one with an and-one opportunity.
CJ Huntley led the team in scoring against Old Dominion, tallying 18 points. He scored 14 of those in the first half, which helped spark the Mountaineer offense to open the game. Jamil Muttilib provided a jolt off the bench when the Mountaineers needed it late in the game as he scored 12 points, which tied his season high that he set against William & Mary on Nov. 24. Dior Conners also added eight points on two made threes.
How it Happened
ODU started the game by winning the tip-off and scored on its first possession thanks to Robert Davis Jr. The Mountaineers answered the Monarch basket with a quick dunk by Jalil Beaubrun and then Huntley scored his first points to put the Mountaineers ahead 4-3.
R.J. Blakney propelled the Monarchs back ahead with a basket, but Huntley nailed a 3-pointer to shoot App State back ahead by the 16:47 mark. ODU tallied another basket to tie the score at seven before Conners’ first three fell through to put the Mountaineers ahead by the first media timeout.
Huntley got into the paint to score his seventh point of the game out of the break, but ODU answered with a bucket to make it a one-point game again. Tate sunk a pair of freebies to make the score 14-11 and then Huntley kept up his hot start by nailing his second 3-pointer to send the Mountaineers ahead four. App State continued to maintain its lead into the under-12 break as Alonzo Dodd nailed a floater for his first points.
ODU pulled within a point after Durugordon hit a pair of free throws, but Muttilib started his night by hitting three free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer to put the Mountaineers back ahead by four.
After Muttilib’s free throws, the Monarchs began to find its offense and went on a strong 7-0 spurt to take a three-point lead into the under-eight timeout. Three baskets by three different players helped spark the run, but App State missed two shots and turned the ball over three times to help spark the setback.
Luke Wilson halted the run by hitting a few free throws to make it a one-point game again and then Muttilib nailed his first three of the game to put App State back ahead. Old Dominion tied the score at 27 with just over six minutes thanks to a Blakney bucket. The two teams jostled for position until the under-four break, but the Mountaineers claimed a one-point lead after Huntley nailed a layup.
App State closed the half strong thanks to a 7-0 run, spearheaded by strong free-throw shooting. Beaubrun hit 3-4 freebies over the final three minutes of the half and Huntley’s dunk jolted the App State crowd that made the trip to Pensacola before halftime. When the horn sounded, App State led by six.
The Mountaineers shot an impressive 50 percent from the field in the first half and nailed four of its eight 3-point attempts. Huntley’s strong showing in the first 20 minutes helped electrify the Mountaineer bench as he tallied 14 to lead all scorers.
Heading out of halftime, Davis Jr. hit a three to trim the Monarch deficit down to three, but Huntley continued to play well as he scored again to put App State back up five. ODU hit on another three to make it 38-36 before Conners drilled his second 3-pointer of the game to send the Mountaineers ahead by five.
Old Dominion cut its deficit back down to two points by the 15:51 mark and then took the lead after Davis made a three. Davis put the Monarchs up three points with 14 minutes to play as he scored eight early points to lead the ODU charge.
After Davis put the Monarchs up three, App State went on a run of its own to take the lead right back. Tate cut the lead back down to one and Beaubrun and Muttilib combined to score five straight points to put the Mountaineers back on top by four. Another three by Muttilib, this time from 25 feet, went through and App State led by five with 8:48 to play.
Now trailing by its largest deficit of the game, the Monarchs called a timeout to gather themselves and found a spark on defense as they held App State scoreless for over six minutes. The Mountaineers missed seven straight shots and a pair of free throws during this stretch, which helped the Monarchs take a four-point lead with 3:09 to play.
App State finally ended its long scoring drought thanks to Tate making a driving layup while being fouled to make it a one-point game with 2:09 to go. Needing a stop on the other end, App State forced a miss, but Durugordon hustled to get the offensive rebound and stuck it back to send ODU back ahead three with 90 seconds to go.
Huntley made it a one-point game again with 1:27 to go, but App State went cold again from the field and didn’t score for the next minute. Tate got a good look from three but back-ironed the shot and despite getting an offensive rebound from Dodd, the Mountaineers couldn’t capitalize and needed to foul.
The Mountaineers sent Durugordon to the line and he made both to make it a three-point game with 17 seconds to go. App State got a good look from three, but Tate couldn’t hit, and the Mountaineers fouled Durugodon again. He made both and iced the contest, helping ODU advance to the Sun Belt quarterfinals with a 61-56 win.
Top Performers
In his 153rd game in an App State uniform, which tied him with Justin Forrest for the most games played in an App State uniform, CJ Huntley scored a team-best 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. His 18-point, 12-rebound performance marked his 11th double-double in his last 17 games. Jamil Muttilib scored in double figures for the third time this year and the first time since Nov. 24 with 12 points. Muttilib hit three of his four threes to get there. Dior Conners also poured in eight points and made two threes, which was his 19th game this year with at least two 3-pointers.
The 2024-25 men’s basketball season is presented by Foscoe Companies.
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