Using a 17-2 run over the final nine minutes of the first half, Georgia Southern men's basketball (15-15, 7-10 SBC) earned a crucial win over App State (17-12, 10-7), winning 61-59 on Tuesday, snapping a four-game losing skid against the Mountaineers.
"Those guys have had our number since I've been here, and it's nice to get out of here with a win," Bice-Peace head coach Charlie Henry said. "We got stops today, and that was the difference. Huntley's a handful, and Tate tore us up at their place but we made the stops to get the win. I thought it was fitting that when we finally took one from them, our defense took us over the top."
App started the game a scorching 7-9 from the field, but the Eagles remained within striking distance for a good amount. Collin Kuhl grabbed an offensive rebound and converted the tip-in to cut the deficit to 18-15 at 11:07.
Trailing 25-15 after a 7-0 run for the visitors, Eugene Brown III nailed a three to cut to within seven, and the Eagles were on the offensive.
A 17-2 run over the final 8:56 allowed the Eagles a comfortable five-point halftime lead. Nakavieon White found Brown III down low for the final field goal of the opening half - Brown's 13th point of the frame.
The Eagles shot 44 percent from the field and 6-14 from three after one, leading 32-27.
GS had to continue to claw through the second half. App battled back to take two early leads, but the Eagles held steady. Nate Brafford nailed a three at 8:32 to push the lead back to five at 50-45, but a scoring drought of nearly three minutes followed for both teams. App cut it to a 51-48 deficit with 4:03 remaining.
Leading by one with 1:34 left, White stepped back and drilled a much-needed three to make it a two-possession lead at 56-52, the Eagles' biggest since the four-minute mark.
Leading by three and holding possession with 38 seconds left, Bradley Douglas nailed a corner three to beat the shot clock and extend the lead to six.
Eren Banks was perfect on a pair of free throws following an App make to keep the lead at 61-55. The Mountaineers ran down and hit a floater to make it 61-59, and Banks went back to the line, and despite missing the shot, App couldn't convert the desperation heave, winning 61-59.
White had 17 points and six rebounds to lead the team in both categories, and Brown III tied his season-high with those 13 points. Both Banks and Douglas added four assists, and Banks sits one three away from 100 career.
"Last time, I shot poorly against them, so I guess they weren't expecting me to shoot as much," White said. "I was taking what they were giving me. I work on those shots every day, so I knew I would hit those shots if they let me take them."
The win was Henry's first in five tries against App State, and the first one not to go into overtime since the initial meeting in Boone in 2023-24. The 59 points are a season-low for a Sun Belt opponent against the Eagles, and the first time the Eagles have held a Sun Belt team under 60 points since Mar. 2, 2023 against ULM in the Sun Belt Tournament.
The Eagles will turn their attention to Georgia State on Friday for the final game of the regular season.
