App State’s men’s basketball team secured a strong win Saturday against the James Madison Dukes in Holmes Convocation Center.
Senior forward Jalil Beaubrun, junior guard Dior Conners, junior guard Alonzo Dodd, graduate student forward CJ Huntley and redshirt senior guard Myles Tate geared up as the Mountaineers starting five.
At the start of the game, the Dukes showed a strong offense, matching every shot the Black and Gold made. Freshman forward Michael Marcus Jr. and graduate student guard Jackson Threadgill came into the game within the first five minutes of the first half.
Nine minutes into the first half the Dukes led 17-15. Tate, Huntley and Dodd then made back-to-back shots from the arc, putting the Mountaineers up 26-21.
As the gap grew, Huntley shot the lights out in the first half with 17 points against the Dukes.
The Dukes’ defense showed signs of weakness, turning the ball over 13 times in 22 minutes. The Black and Gold widened the game even further putting the Dukes on ice at 57-32 with 16 minutes left.
The Dukes tried to catch up but were no match for the two-headed monster: Huntley and Tate.
James Madison left the best three-point shooters wide open, making successful buckets for the Mountaineers. The Mountaineers shot an outstanding 58.8% from the arc.
With 1:09 left on the clock, the Black and Gold sent in their bench to get some time on the books. Freshman guard Jason Clarke Jr., freshman guard Anthony Alston, junior guard Jamil Muttilib, junior forward Ben Ezeagu and Marcus came in for the remainder of the game.
Shortly after, App State celebrated a win against their rivals, ending the game leading 86-66.
Tate and Huntley both had 21 points. Beaubrun was a shining light for the Mountaineers’ defense and offense ending the night with 16 points. The Black and Gold’s bench scored 15 points.
App State had a field goal percentage of 53.8% while shooting 71.4% from the charity strike.
The Mountaineers are set to face off against Old Dominion Thursday in Norfolk, Virginia. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
