App State Men’s Basketball Falls Short in Comeback Attempt, Loses to Old Dominion 75-73

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After trailing by 19 points at halftime, the App State men’s basketball team (11-9, 4-4 SBC) mounted a furious second-half comeback that fell just short when Alonzo Dodd’s half-court heave at the buzzer missed. App State outscored Old Dominion (6-14, 3-5 SBC) by 17 points in the second half, but the Monarchs’ dominant first half secured a 75-73 victory in Boone on Saturday.

Three-Point Shooting Disparity

App State struggled from deep, making just six 3-pointers on 22 attempts (27.3 percent). Old Dominion buried 11 threes at a 47.8 percent clip, helping the Monarchs withstand multiple second-half runs.

Despite the loss, Dodd delivered a career performance with 27 points and nine assists. His nine assists matched his season-best and fell one short of his career high. It marked Dodd’s third consecutive 20-point game following 21 at Coastal Carolina and 23 against James Madison.

How It Happened

Old Dominion took the lead on Jordan Battle’s opening 3-pointer and never trailed. Kasen Jennings scored App State’s first points on a layup, and Luke Wilson tied the game at three with a free throw at 17:59.

Old Dominion capitalized on an App State scoring drought to build a six-point lead by the first media timeout. Jennings hit a three to end the drought, and Dodd scored in the paint to cut the deficit to three, but the Monarchs answered with back-to-back buckets for an eight-point advantage.

Jennings and Chad Moodie sparked a 4-0 run, but App State managed just five points over the final 10 minutes of the first half. Old Dominion’s 20-5 run stretched the lead to 19 at halftime. App State’s 17 first-half points marked their fewest in any half this season.

Second-Half Rally

Dodd scored App State’s first second-half points, but Davis Jr. answered with a corner three to push Old Dominion’s lead to a game-high 20 points. Trailing by 18 at the first media timeout, App State erupted with a 13-0 run to pull within seven. Wilson’s dunk and Dodd’s layup sparked the surge, followed by Jennings in the paint and Tot’s first 3-pointer.

Old Dominion responded with an 11-3 run to restore a 15-point lead at 7:20. App State cut it to 10 by the final media timeout on Dodd’s driving layup, then Tot’s three made it a seven-point game with 3:25 remaining.

The Monarchs pushed the lead back to 11, but App State scored six of the next 10 points to trail by six with just over a minute left. After an Old Dominion free throw, Tot drilled a corner three to make it a three-point game with 40 seconds remaining.

Dodd capitalized on a split free throw trip to cut the deficit to two with 26 seconds left. Battle hit two free throws to make it 74-70 with 15 seconds remaining. Jennings’ three-point attempt fell short, and Old Dominion made the ensuing free throws for a five-point lead.

Dodd was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three free throws to cut it to two with less than a second left. After a timeout, Dodd stole the inbounds pass but his half-court heave missed.

Top Performers

Dodd led App State with a career-high 27 points on 10-16 shooting, scoring 25 in the second half after having just two at halftime. Jennings posted his fourth straight double-digit game with 17 points before fouling out, adding a career-high eight rebounds. Wilson finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks.

Up Next

App State continues its four-game homestand Thursday at 6:30 p.m. against Louisiana, opening its Sun Belt West schedule.