App State Men’s Basketball Dominates ULM 59-43 Behind Stellar Defense

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The App State men’s basketball team’s (13-9, 6-4 SBC) stellar defense powered a commanding 59-43 victory over ULM (3-18, 0-9 SBC) on Friday at the Holmes Center, closing out a season-long four-game homestand. The Mountaineers held the Warhawks to just 13 made field goals—the fewest allowed to a Division I opponent in the Dustin Kerns era.

Defensive Dominance

App State seized control near the end of the first half with an extended 29-8 run that turned a four-point deficit into a 17-point lead. From the time ULM scored its 16th point at the 12:24 mark of the first half, App State held the Warhawks to just eight points over 20 minutes of game time, forcing them to miss 27 of 30 field goal attempts during that stretch.

Paint Presence

The Mountaineers won the paint battle by 18 points, with Luke Wilson and Michael Marcus Jr. sparking an 8-0 run to close the first half. Wilson scored seven points during the extended 29-8 run.

App State dominated the glass for the second consecutive game, winning the rebounding battle by 15. Both Wilson and Marcus Jr. posted double-doubles, with Marcus Jr. recording 14 points and 14 rebounds and Wilson adding 14 points and 12 rebounds. App State’s 56 rebounds marked the most against a Sun Belt team in the Kerns era.

How It Happened

Playing their second game in 24 hours, the Mountaineers raced to a 10-0 lead in three minutes. Wilson opened with a thunderous dunk, Kasen Jennings added a steal-and-dunk, and Marcus Jr. capped the run with a two-handed fastbreak slam.

ULM called timeout and switched to a zone defense, stymying App State’s offense. The Warhawks went on a 14-0 run to take a four-point lead as the Mountaineers missed nine consecutive shots.

Chad Moodie ended the drought with two free throws, but ULM answered for a four-point lead at the under-12 timeout. Wilson scored through contact, and Marcus Jr. hit a three to put App State back ahead by two at 7:39.

Marcus Jr.’s driving layup extended the lead to four, but ULM tied it at 20 with under four minutes remaining. App State then seized control for good.

Wilson started an 8-0 run with a layup through contact, and Jalen Tot hit his second three for a six-point advantage. Marcus Jr. capped the half with a layup at 0:44, giving the Mountaineers an eight-point halftime lead.

Second-Half Surge

App State extended the lead to double digits on its first possession when Jennings drove to the basket. Wilson followed with an alley-oop dunk from Alonzo Dodd before ULM scored its first second-half points.

The Mountaineers then scored nine of the next 11 points to go ahead by 17 at the under-12 timeout. Wilson started with a layup, Tot splashed his third three, and Eren Banks scored in the lane after a ULM miss, forcing a timeout.

Banks added another layup, followed by a Marcus Jr. layup for a game-high 21-point lead. ULM cut it to 13 with a 9-2 run, then to 12 on MJ Russell free throws, but Wilson steadied the ship with a layup for a 14-point cushion.

Marcus Jr.’s second three at 5:01 pushed the lead back to 16. Banks’ euro-step layup and Tot’s fourth three sealed the 16-point victory and a 3-1 homestand.

Top Performers

Marcus Jr. and Wilson both scored 14 points and posted double-doubles. Marcus Jr. edged Wilson for the rebounding lead with 14 boards, and the duo combined for 26 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive end. Tot followed his 21-point performance Thursday with 12 points on four 3-pointers, his eighth consecutive game with at least three makes from deep.

Up Next

App State travels to Southern Miss on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT), continuing a five-game stretch against Sun Belt West opponents. The game airs on ESPN+.