At present, both the teams are continuously searching for victory. The Mountaineers have lost two in a row and UNC-A has also lost a pair so far against teams with a combined record of 6-6.
Both teams feature a healthy share of new faces in their primary rotation, so a somewhat up-and-down start isn’t entirely surprising, but with only a few games remaining until each conference play begins in January, the opportunities for a solid start are diminishing.
UNC-A
After three consecutive 20 win seasons, it is surprising to see the Bulldogs go 2–4, especially despite an extremely poor opening schedule. But what is perhaps less realized is that four of the top five UNC-A scorers are being replaced.
Graduate guard Justin Wright is certainly doing a good job of making up for the missed points, posting 18.3 points per game on 68 percent two-point shooting, 52-percent three-point accuracy and 83 percent at the free throw line. Swingman Kameron Taylor has nearly doubled his scoring (17.3 per game) this season, and posted 30 percent of his points at the free-throw line. Fifth-year power forward Toyaz Solomon was key last season and led the way with 16.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
With that production among the top three starters, how is UNC-A sitting at 2-4? The rest of the rotation has bright spots, with DJ Patryk averaging 7.5 points and 7-16 behind the arc and Miles Mayfield averaging 6.3 points on 60-percent shooting. But other than the primary three scorers, the remaining game-to-game options aren’t collectively scoring 30 points per outing.
Relying on the same three guys for two-thirds of the total scoring is tough, especially for a program that likes to play at or above 80 points. UNC-A successfully converts on two-point scoring (55.2%), is very reliable from behind the arc (28th in DI), and shoots nearly 23 free throws per game. Given this, it’s hard to picture the Bulldogs struggling to win, or at least imagining they’ll keep losing.
app status
This was another long App State dry run, leading to the Mountaineers’ loss at Mercer after App State jumped out to an early 13-point lead. From that point, approximately 10:00 into the first half, Mercer outscored App State 10–0 by the end of that half, and, despite going back-and-forth on possession for most of the second half, the Bears pulled away from App State for the final time with an 18–10 closing sprint.
Even though Mercer was unable to make a field goal in the final 3:31, the Bears made 10 consecutive free throws to secure the victory.
App State has struggled with consistent production, perhaps more noticeable defensively than offensively. Mountaineer teams’ results were routinely forced as both teams played in the 60s, and often those decisions would swing App State’s way. But while allowing 41 points per game to DI opponents, the Mountaineers are 1-4 when opponents score at least 70 points this season.
This two-game skid coincides with Kasen Jennings’ recent 12.0 points and 35-percent overall shooting trends. Opponents now have enough film to scrutinize Jennings and force him to create other offensive options, and it has been sporadic.
Alenzo Dodd has averaged 10.0 points over the last two games, but on 1-8 three-point shooting. Wing Erren Banks continues to struggle with perimeter accuracy at 1-10 on three-pointers during this two-game slide, Jalen Tott is 5-15 behind the arc, and the team is 12-52 (23.1%) on three-pointers in those losses.
With those perimeter struggles, the lack of defensive stopping power shows up twice. But that defense was certainly present during the recent win over Charlotte, as the Niners couldn’t score 30 points in the second half, so it’s still a viable weapon.
UNC-A doesn’t play at a break-neck pace, so this game should be incorporated into App State’s defensive strategy a little more easily.
sports analysis
App State is struggling to bring it all together, but has shown some glimpses along the way. The CAA and Southern Conference are comparable basketball leagues to the Sun Belt, especially this early in the season, but the Mountaineers need to win these games.
App State has material advantages, at least on paper, but those characteristics must appear in tangible and, most importantly, repeatable forms, especially when they matter most.
This UNC-A team isn’t looking like the Bulldog teams of the past few seasons, but we’ve all seen the results there. They will be ready to play.
Can App State put together 40 consecutive minutes to win a winnable game?
APP STAT 64 – UNC-A 59
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