Box Score BOONE, N.C. -- Behind 22 points from freshman Ronshad Shabazz, Appalachian State University men's basketball recorded one of its biggest wins in recent history, a 69-63 triumph over first-place Little Rock on Thursday evening at the Holmes Center.

With the victory over Little Rock (27-4, 17-3 Sun Belt, No. 35 RPI), Appalachian State kept its hopes for a berth in next week's Sun Belt Conference Tournament alive. The Mountaineers (8-22, 6-13 Sun Belt) will earn a spot in the eight-team Sun Belt Tourney field with a win over Arkansas State (11-19, 7-12 Sun Belt) on Saturday at the Holmes Center and a loss by Texas State on Thursday night at Troy or Saturday at South Alabama.

In a game that featured five ties, seven lead changes and neither team ever holding more than a seven-point advantage, Appalachian State took the lead for good on a free throw by Jake Babic with 4:22 left in the ballgame.

However, it was senior Frank Eaves that made perhaps the biggest play of the season for the Mountaineers when he converted an old-fashioned three-point play that gave Appalachian a 64-60 lead with 1:06 to go.

From there, Shabazz capped his 22-point night with layup with 44 seconds left and the Mountaineers made 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to finish off the upset victory. Babic finished with a season-high 10 points on 3-for-6 shooting, all three pointers.

App State held a 27-21 lead in the first half, but a 7-0 run from the Trojans led to both teams being tied heading into the locker room at 30-30.

In the second half, App State held a three point lead at 46-43 but another 7-0 run from the Trojans gave Little Rock a 50-46 lead with 6:53 left to play. The Black and Gold countered with 10-3 run to take a 56-53 lead. With a 50-49 lead for Little Rock, Bennett Holley hit a baseline jumper over the backboard right before the shot clock expired to give the Mountaineers a 51-50 lead and huge momentum.

With just a one point advantage at 61-60, Eaves hit a tough bankshot to finish an and-one and give the Mountaineers a 64-60 lead. App State would push the lead to five at 67-62 and sealed the win with two free throws from Emarius Logan.

The Mountaineers will finish the regular season on Saturday against Arkansas State with an opportunity to go to New Orleans for the Sun Belt tournament. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m.