STATESBORO, Ga. –– Ronshad Shabazz turned in a career night with 36 points on a personal-best 13 field goals, but it wouldn't end up being enough for Appalachian State University men's basketball in a narrow 92-88 defeat at Georgia Southern on Saturday.

For the second season in a row, Shabazz netted a career high in points against the Mountaineers' (6-11, 1-5 Sun Belt) longtime foe. Last season, the sophomore scored 29 points in a 101-100 loss inside the Holmes Center on Jan. 25.

The Raleigh, N.C. native topped that performance finishing 13-for-24 from the field and 6-for-12 from beyond the arc to go along with four free throws in a 36-point effort - 24 of which came in the second half. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished three assists on the night.

Trailing by five at the break, the Mountaineers fell behind by as many as 12 points with 6:39 to go in regulation. With the Eagles (13-6, 6-0 Sun Belt) leading 70-58, Jake Babic scored eight-straight points for the Black and Gold, including two 3-pointers.

With the Eagles maintaining a steady advantage, Shabazz took over the offense for Appalachian and finished the game 6-for-7 from the floor and helped will the Mountaineers to within just three points at 89-86 following a deep top-of-the-key three.

Despite the effort and Shabazz's heroics, Georgia Southern was able to fend off the furious Mountaineer rally with clutch free throw shooting down the stretch. For the game, the Eagles went to the line 47 times and connected on 34 of those attempts.

Emarius Logan turned in a stellar effort for the Black and Gold with 17 points - finishing 7-for-9 from the charity stripe. Babic also finished in double-figures with 11 points on 3-for-6 shooting from long range.

On the glass, Appalachian State outrebounded Georgia Southern 39-37 in large part to Isaac Johnson who grabbed a team-high nine boards - six of which came on the offensive glass. Johnson also poured in six points, including a put-back dunk and layup.

Craig Hinton matched Shabazz in the rebounding department, tying a career high with seven, while also chipping in nine points on 4-for-6 shooting from the floor.

App State will look to bounce back with a quick turnaround against Georgia State on Monday, Jan. 23. Tipoff from the GSU Sports Arena is slated for 7 p.m. in Atlanta.

Notes: Ronshad Shabazz scored a career-high 36 points on a career-high 13 field goals … Shabazz also played a career-high 38 minutes … it marks Shabazz's first career 30-point game and his 16th double-digit scoring game this season and 34th of his career … for the third time this season, App State amassed 70+ field goal attempts (71) … for the ninth time this season, App State outrebounded its opponent (39-37) … App State moves to 25-22 all-time against Georgia Southern … with 11 points, Jake Babic notched his third double-digit scoring game this season and ninth of his career … with 17 points, Emarius Logan collected his fifth double-digit scoring game of the season and 13th of his career … with nine rebounds, Isaac Johnson led the team in rebounding for the sixth time this season.