App State men’s basketball extended their win streak to five with a 65-58 win at Marshall Saturday night. The team has won 13 of their last 14 games and remains atop the Sun Belt Conference.

The win completes the Mountaineers’ two-game season sweep over the Thundering Herd following a 73-58 victory on Feb. 15 from the Holmes Convocation Center. 

App State struggled to get open looks in the first first half due to a stagnant offensive approach. The Mountaineers shot 29% from the field and went into the half trailing 29-23.

The Black and Gold sprinted out of the break on a 11-4 run capped by sophomore forward Justin Abson converting a layup, taking a 34-33 lead.

Offensive execution in the half court was far better for App State in the second frame. They found and consistently knocked down open looks, shooting 48% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc.

 Marshall’s strategy to pound the interior led them to 20 second-half paint points and kept them within striking distance down the stretch. The Black and Gold finally managed to pull away with a late 9-0 run punctuated by a stepback triple from junior guard Myles Tate, putting the team ahead 59-47 at the 3:05 mark. 

Tate finished with a career-high 25 points, 18 of which came in the second half. Graduate student forward Donovan Gregory tacked on 15 points on 6-6 shooting from the charity stripe. 

The 65-58 win improves App State to 24-5 overall and 14-2 in conference play. Twenty-four wins is a milestone for the Mountaineers because it ties them for fourth-most wins in the country and marks the third time the program has reached this number of victories. 

This served as the Black and Gold’s final away game of the regular season. Their 8-4 road record is the best App State has posted since the 2006-07 season. 

The Mountaineers have two remaining home games prior to the Sun Belt Tournament, starting Wednesday against Old Dominion at 6:30 p.m. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.