App State men's basketball never trailed in its second consecutive double-digit win, defeating Georgia State 71-59.
The starters filled the stat sheet, each recording five or more rebounds while Terence Harcum scored 20+ for the second straight contest. The sophomore posted 21 points on 6-10 shooting, five rebounds, four assists, a steal, and a 7-10 game from the charity stripe.
Donovan Gregory opened the game with a spot-up 3-pointer, assisted by Harcum. After that, the game was never tied again as the lead would eventually increase to as much as 18. Gregory finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a season-high five steals.
The Mountaineers (12-10, 5-4 SBC) set the tone for the game with four offensive rebounds that led to six straight second-chance points in the first four minutes, jumping out to an early 9-2 lead. The Black & Gold tallied 13 offensive rebounds on the night and out-rebounded the Panthers, 37-28.
After GSU narrowed the deficit to four midway through the first period, App State responded with a 12-0 run that was capped with triples by Harcum and Christopher Mantis. Mantis scored 14 points off the bench with four 3-pointers.
The Mountaineers held the Panthers (9-12, 2-7 SBC) scoreless for over four minutes as they increased the lead to 16. At the break, App State led 42-27. This was the fifth time in January that the team held its opponent to 27 or less in a half.
In the second half, the lead only dipped below 10 once before App State took control of the game in the final minutes.
Justin Abson blocked his fourth shot of the game midway through the second half, totaling 47 on the season. The freshman is now 10th all-time in single-season blocks at App State (47, four tonight). The record is 75, set by Jeremy Clayton during the 2007-08 season. After his 10th game this year with three or more blocks, Abson now ranks 14th in the nation in total blocks.
During his fourth consecutive start, Xavion Brown added eight points and a career-high eight rebounds.
App State will return to the Holmes Center on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. to host Arkansas State, following the women's game against Louisiana at 2 p.m. One ticket will get fans into both games and can be purchased here.
Next week, the Mountaineers will host Marshall on Feb. 2 at 6:30 p.m. and James Madison on Feb. 4 at 4 p.m.