Ashe County Schools BOE elected members announced
December 3, 2024Thursday, December 5th
December 4, 2024Mountaineers Throttle Mustangs to Close 2024 Home Schedule
Dec. 3, 2024
Contact: Jacob Plecker (pl*******@ap******.edu)
Box Score: Attached
BOONE, N.C. – In the last home game of the 2024 calendar year, the App State Mountaineers (6-3) used a 9-0 run to open the contest and never looked back, beating the Mid-Atlantic Christian Mustangs (2-5) 85-43 at the Holmes Center on Tuesday. The Mountaineers have now won five of their last six contests and 19 of their last 20 at home.
App State saw three players eclipse double figures in the game with Alonzo Dodd pacing the attack as he scored a season-best 19 points. Dodd was a perfect 7-7 from the field. CJ Huntley tallied 14 points in just seven minutes of play as he dominated the opening part of the contest.
Overall, the Mountaineers shot 53 percent from the field and buried 12 threes. It’s the fourth time already this season that App State has made at least 10 threes in a game. Additionally, App State’s 53 percent clip from the field marked the second time in the last three games that it has made at least half of its shots in a game.
With the win over the Mustangs, head coach Dustin Kerns moved into a tie with Buzz Peterson on App State’s all-time wins list with 103. He became the sixth Mountaineer head coach to reach 103 wins.
How it Happened
The Mountaineers opened their final home game of 2024 with a bang as they made four consecutive shots to start the contest and jumped ahead by nine just two minutes into the game. Myles Tate started the ball game with a layup before Will Coble, who made his first start for the Black and Gold on Tuesday, drilled a three to make it 5-0.
Huntley got his night going with three consecutive paint touches that resulted in baskets to put App State up 13-4 by the first media break. The Mountaineers then turned to Jackson Threadgill who buried a bucket to put them ahead by double digits by the 15:04 mark.
Not going quietly, Mid-Atlantic Christian trimmed its deficit down to just seven points after Carlos Raven hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key. But Dodd answered Raven’s three with his first of 19 points on the evening, which pushed App State back ahead by 10.
App State jumped ahead by 15 points with 10 minutes to play, using two straight triples by Dior Conners to do so. Conners shot it well again against the Mustangs, nailing four long balls and scoring 17 points. App State crossed 30 points in the game after Jalil Beaubrun sank a three from the top of the key.
After a Huntley block on one end and a beautiful feed from Tate on the other end, App State extended its lead to 20 by the under-eight timeout. The two connected again on a long outlet pass that ended in a thunderous dunk by Huntley, giving him his final total of 14 points.
The Mountaineers finished the half strong, sinking five of their last seven shots. Dodd hit his second three to put the Mountaineers up 24 and Luke Wilson’s slam in the paint gave him his first points. Conners’ third three of the half rattled home with 35 seconds to play and Dodd shimmied his way to the basket to beat the first-half horn to put App State up 25 by halftime.
Shots were raining home for App State in the first half as they missed just nine shots on 29 attempts and drilled eight threes. Defensively, the Mountaineers kept the Mustangs to just 24 points and nine made field goals. App State dominated the paint in the opening frame, outscoring Mid-Atlantic Christian 22-2 near the basket.
Out of the halftime break, the Mountaineers took a commanding lead as they went on a 22-1 run to open the final stanza. Dodd’s third three of the game swished through the net to put App State up 30 before a slick find from Wilson was pounded home by Michael Marcus Jr. to extend the lead.
Another rim-rattling jam from Wilson tied his season high with 17:11 left in the half as he continued to play well. The Mountaineers quickly went up by 40 in the second half as Conners blocked a shot on one end and raced to the other end of the floor for a layup plus the harm to give him his final score of 17.
Ben Ezeagu got his night started with a dunk after Marcus fought for the offensive rebound to extend the App State advantage to 42 by the 14:31 mark. Dodd’s fourth three of the game capped off the long run by the first media break of the half. By the time the Mustangs scored again, App State led by 46.
The Mountaineers continued to pour it on as play continued, going ahead by 51 points with eight minutes to play. Anthony Alston’s first bucket of the game got it to that point before Dodd gave App State its largest lead of 54 points at the 7:07 mark.
With the Mountaineers up big, Kerns emptied his bench and put in Cameron O’Kelley, Jonah Long and Luke Ledford into the game for the final six minutes. The three of them hadn’t played since Nov. 6 against St. Andrews.
The Mustangs were able to build a bit of momentum during the final stretch of the game as they went on a 13-2 run to close the ball game. O’Kelley did get himself on the scoreboard for the first time since he scored four points against the Knights as he tallied a putback layup to give App State its final tally of 85.
When the final horn sounded, the Mountaineers won by 42 points. App State shot 53 percent from the field and 40 percent from the long line in the game.
Top Performers
Three different players reached double figures in the game, but none scored more than Alonzo Dodd who tallied 19 points. Dodd was a perfect 7-7 from the floor and has now scored 30 points in his last two games. Dior Conners was great in his 19 minutes, recording 17 points on four made threes. The Mountaineers outscored the Mustangs by 26 with Conners on the floor. Despite playing seven minutes, CJ Huntley tallied 14 points and missed just one shot. His athleticism showed against the Mustangs as he tallied several dunks on fastbreak opportunities.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will take an 11-day hiatus for Finals Week before hitting the floor again on Dec. 14 against High Point in a neutral site bout. Tipoff from the Novant Health Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C., is set for 2 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
The 2024-25 men’s basketball season is presented by Foscoe Companies.
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App State Athletics Strategic Communications
425 Jack Branch Drive
Boone, NC, 28608
www.appstatesports.com
