Andrei Savrasov scored a career-high 28 points, and Georgia Southern held Appalachian State without a field goal for the final four minutes of the game to grind out a 73-64 Sun Belt men's basketball win over the Mountaineers on Senior Night Friday in Hanner Fieldhouse.
Eagles of the Game
Savrasov went 9 of 13 from the field, 2 of 3 from long distance and 8 of 9 from the charity stripe and added five rebounds and a steal. Jalen Finch finished with 13 points, four rebounds and two assists, and Kamari Brown scored 12. Carlos Curry notched 10 points and two assists, and Kaden Archie led the Eagles with a career-high six assists.
Key Moments
Donovan Gregory scored six straight points, and his turnaround jumper put the Mountaineers (16-15, 9-9) ahead by a point with 4:04 to play. Savrasov scored the next 10 points for Georgia Southern starting with a putback layup and a triple from the wing to give the Eagles a 65-61 cushion with 2:28 left.
Gregory cut the margin to two points with a pair of free throws, but Savrasov answered with a traditional 3-point play, driving baseline and getting fouled on a layup. The Eagles (16-15, 9-9) forced Appalachian State to go 0 for 5 from the field with two turnovers the rest of the way while knocking down five free throws at the other end to seal the win.
Appalachian State used an 11-3 run to open a 57-50 advantage midway through the second half, but Finch took over the game for the Eagles, knocking down three straight 3-pointers. GS also tightened up on defense with Finch and Tyren Moore drawing charges during the spurt.
Stats and Notes
- The Eagles can finish no lower than eighth in the Sun Belt standings and can jump to seventh if Louisiana defeats South Alabama tonight.
- Georgia Southern held the Mountaineers to 6 of 20 from 3-point range, including 0 for 5 in the last two minutes.
- GS committed a season-low in turnovers with five, and two of those game in the final 52 seconds. The Eagles also had 15 assists.
- It was Georgia Southern's 12th home win of the season, the most since the Eagles went 13-2 in 2014-15.
Next up
Georgia Southern will open play in the Sun Belt Tournament next Thursday. Eagle games will be on ESPN+ and the GS Sports Network, and the league's championship contest will air on ESPN2.
