App State men’s basketball lost 94-93 Thursday against Marshall University in a back and forth game that came down to the final seconds.
App State wasted no time to get ahead. After forcing a deflection on Marshall’s opening possession, sophomore forward Michael Marcus Jr. made a layup less than a minute into the game.
After that the team strung 5 straight points to grab an early 7-2 with less than two minutes in. Marshall responded to tie the game 7-7. Senior guard Alonzo Dodd, redshirt sophomore center Luke Wilson and graduate student guard Jalen Tot teamed up to gain another 11 points. Wilson knocked down 2 free throws, while Dodd and Tot made 3-pointers to push App State back in the lead.
(Brooke Robinson)
The Mountaineers controlled the first half, having the biggest lead of 16 points for the majority of the first half. Marshall cut the lead to 5 points, and App State responded with a 12-0 run.
Junior guard Eren Banks made 2 3-pointers, and Marcus Jr. added 4 free throws.
The Black and Gold entered halftime with an 11-point lead of 52-41. This was one of the highest scoring first halves that the Mountaineers had experienced this season.
Leaving halftime, Tot opened the scoring at the line with 3 free throws to keep the Mountaineers ahead by double digits. Baskets from Dodd and graduate student guard Kasen Jennings stretched the lead back to 13 forcing a Marshall timeout.
(Brooke Robinson)
Momentum shifted quickly with the Thundering Herd turning a 13-point deficit into a 2 point game in just five minutes. Tot added another 3-pointer and Jennings added 2 more layups to keep a 7 point lead to keep App State in front heading into the final stretch.
With six minutes left, Wilson had a tip-in dunk to put the Mountaineers up 7 once again. Marshall responded with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 83-83 with five minutes remaining. Jennings tied the game at 92 with a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left, but Marshall answered with a jumper with 12 seconds to play. Marshall ran out the clock to end the game with a 94-93 win.
