Postgame radio interview with
Brian Burg
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Justin Forrest scored 20 points, including 14 in the first half, and Appalachian State held Georgia Southern to 35 percent shooting to post a 73-60 victory over the Eagles in the quarterfinals of the Hercules Tire Sun Belt Men's Basketball Championship Saturday night in the Pensacola Bay Center.
Eagles of the Game
Kaden Archie netted a season-high 17 points and added five rebounds, two assists and two steals, and
Elijah McCadden finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists with no turnovers.
Prince Toyambi tallied 10 points and four rebounds, and
Cam Bryant totaled eight points, six rebounds and two blocked shots.
Key Moments
Georgia Southern trailed by 12 points early in the second half, but an 8-2 run keyed by triples from Archie and Bryant knocked the deficit down to six. Donovan Gregory scored seven points in a row as Appalachian State (19-13) responded with a 17-6 run to open a 17-point cushion with 6:01 to go.
Consecutive triples by McCadden and Bryant made the score 63-55 with 1:45 to go, but that was as close as the Eagles would get. Archie was whistled for a foul on the ensuing inbounds play, and Adrian Delph made two free throws. GS missed its next shot, and the Mountaineers beat the Eagles' pressure for an R.J. Duhart dunk and a 12-point lead with 1:26 left.
Archie scored five points in a 7-0 run as the Eagles whittled a 14-point deficit down to seven late in the first half. Appalachian State pushed the lead back to 14 with a rare seven-point possession. Forrest hit a 3-pointer, and Bryant was whistled for a flagrant foul while fighting for the rebound, giving the Mountaineers two shots and possession of the ball. Delph drained both free throws, and Michael Almonacy hit a fade-away jumper on the baseline to make the score 35-21 with 1:38 left in the period.
Stats and Notes
- The Eagles see their season come to a close with a 13-16 record.
- The Mountaineers jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never trailed in the contest.
- App State held the Eagles to 33 percent shooting in the second period. GS made 5 of 9 from 3-point range and all six of its free throws in the second half.
- The Mountaineers, who came into the game ranked second in the country in least fouls committed per game, enjoyed a 29-10 edge in free-throw attempts (10 came inside the last 1:10) and outscored the Eagles 20-8 from the charity stripe.
