App State men’s basketball secured its first win of the season against Carolina University 92-46 in its home opener Wednesday. The Mountaineers are now 26-4 at home since their 2023-24 season.
They are now 1-1 this season after bouncing back from their loss to Central Michigan University Monday.
“I thought our guys came out and imposed our will and made it look like what it’s supposed to,” head coach Dustin Kerns said in the postgame press conference.
Graduate student guard Kasen Jennings picked up right where he left off from Monday’s game, scoring the first basket of the game, sparking a 13-0 run to open the contest.
Sophomore forward Michael Marcus Jr. extended the lead to 27-6 with a strong and-1 finish in the paint, for his first basket of the game.
The Mountaineers continued to find Marcus until a fastbreak dunk from junior guard Eren Banks highlighted the score 36-10.
Even with a 26-point lead, Kerns decided to come out of a timeout in a full-court press and continued the press for the final seven minutes of the half.
Redshirt freshman forward Andrin Njock scored his first collegiate points with a layup off a pick-and-roll near the end of the first half.
The Mountaineer defense forced 12 turnovers in the first half, which tied the amount they forced in the full game against the Chippewas.
App State made sure to get to the rack, scoring 32 points in the paint in the first half. Redshirt sophomore center Luke Wilson showed flashes of dominance with a career-high 10 points. The Black and Gold went into the locker room with a 53-19 lead.
Jennings picked up 3 fouls in the first half but scored the first basket in the second half.
Even with a 40-point lead, the Mountaineers were still playing hard defensively with the full-court press.
Freshman guard Jacari Brim scored his first points of his college career with a 3-pointer in the corner. Brim played 18 minutes in his first game.
The second half was more of the same with the Black and Gold cruising, doubling the Bruins score, 75-34, with nine minutes remaining. App State was still playing hard, and Brim threw a ball off a Bruin’s leg while up 48 points.
App State emptied their bench with just under seven minutes remaining. Freshman forward Grant Clayton scored his first collegiate points for the Black and Gold.
Marcus filled up the box score with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals. Wilson finished with 14 points to lead the team and tallied 3 rebounds and 2 blocks.
“I mean, that’s just efficient,” Kerns said. “Luke, being the biggest guy on the floor, he showed that, and it was efficient.”
App State will take on North Carolina Central University in the Holmes Convocation Center Sunday. The game will tip off at 1 p.m. and can be streamed live on ESPN+.
