BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University men's basketball will look to get back on the winning track when it travels to Alabama for a Thursday night showdown at Troy on Jan. 28. Tip time for that game is slated for 8:30 p.m. ET.
FOLLOW THE MOUNTAINEERS
You can follow the action live by listening to the Appalachian IMG Sports Network. You can also choose to follow the game by following App State Men's Basketball (@AppStateMBB) or App State Athletics (@appstatesports) on Twitter.
LAST TIME OUT
• App State couldn't maintain an eight point lead with just over two minutes to go and fell in dramatic fashion on Monday.
• The Eagles Mike Hughes completed a four-point play with 0.8 seconds left to seal a 101-100 win.
• Frank Eaves tied two Holmes Center records with 37 points and nine made three-pointers. Eaves made 9-of-16 threes on the night.
• Ronshad Shabazz set a new career-high with 29 points on 10-of-17 shooting.
• Sophomore Jake Babic set a new career-high with 7 rebounds in the contest.
• It was the first 100-point game for the Mountaineers in over two years. The last time was a 100-68 win over Milligan on Dec. 21, 2013.
SERIES HISTORY
• Appalachian State will enter Thursday's contest at Troy holding a 4-0 all time record against the Trojans.
• Last year, App State went on the road on Jan. 19 and earned a 69-64 win. The Trojans made the return trip to Boone on Feb. 7 and fell to the Mountaineers 65-62.
• Prior to last season, the last meeting between Appalachian State and Troy took place 53 years and five days after their most recent meeting (Jan. 14, 1952).
• In both games against Troy during the 2014-15 season, Frank Eaves (22.0 ppg) and Chris Burgess (12.0 ppg) averaged a combined 34.0 points per game in two wins over the Trojans.
• In the Apps first win of the season last year, Eaves netted 29 points on 8-for-16 shooting from the field, including 6-for-10 from long range and a nearly perfect 7-for-9 from the charity stripe.
• In the second matchup, both Eaves and Burgess posted 15 point outings and were a combined 6-for-10 from three-point land.
SCOUTING THE TROJANS
• Troy will enter the contest on Thursday with a 6-14 overall record, including a 1-8 mark in Sun Belt league play.
• Most recently, Troy fell at home to South Alabama, 66-58, on Tuesday.
• The Trojans boast three student-athletes in double figures this season and the leader in the clubhouse is Wesley Person, son of retired NBA player Wesley Person.
• Person leads the team with 16.5 points per game and much like the Mountaineers' Eaves, he loves to shoot the three ball.
• Person has attempted 161 threes this season and has connected on 37.9 percent of them. From the field, the sophomore is shooting a much better 44.4 percent.
• Jordon Varnado is the second leading scorer on the Trojans (15.4 ppg) and is also their leading rebounder with 7.7 rebounds per game.
• Varnado is second on the Trojans with 100 offensive rebounds this season, trailing only Jeremy Hollimon who has posted 112 rebounds on the offensive glass.
• As a team, Troy currently carries a -0.6 rebounding margin and a -0.2 turnover margin.
• The Trojans are allowing their opponent to shoot 44.8 percent from the field, while limiting their opponents three-point percentage to just 34.5 percent.
• Troy shoots just 66.2 percent from the charity stripe, while its opposition shoots 71.2 percent.
• The Trojans have run out the same starting lineup since day one: Person, Varnado, Hollimon, John Walton III and Daniel Peace.
• Two other Trojans, B.J. Miller and Aaron Ariri, are the only other student-athletes to see time in all 20 games this season.
• Troy is not afraid to use its bench as three other Trojans have seen consistent time on the floor as well.
