BOONE, N.C. -- Appalachian State men's basketball overcame a 17-point first half deficit, but fell 80-75 to Georgia State on Thursday evening inside the Holmes Center.
The Panthers (19-8, 10-4 SBC) jumped out to an early 24-7 lead, only to see the Mountaineers (9-19, 4-9 SBC) storm back with a 21-4 run to tie the score at 28-28. Georgia State pushed its lead back to five points and took a 40-36 lead into the break.
In the second half, the Mountaineers jumped in front 58-57 on a three-pointer from Michael Bibby with 12:08 left in the game.
Georgia State took the lead back at 66-61, but the Mountaineers battled back to tie the score at 75-75 with 1:49 on a jumper from Tyrell Johnson.
Both teams would come up empty on their next possession. Following a Georgia State timeout, Kane Williams scored on a layup and was fouled on the play by Isaac Johnson. He sank the ensuing free throw to put the Panthers up 78-75 with 42 seconds left.
On App State's next possession, the Mountaineers were whistled for a travel and were forced to foul Williams. He missed the front end of a one-and-one and the Black and Gold grabbed the rebound. Ronshad Shabazz had a look at a game-tying three, but it was blocked by the Panthers. Georgia State gained possession and Jordan Tyson sunk a pair of free throws in the final seconds to put the game away.
Justin Forrest led four Mountaineers in double figures with 17 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Isaac Johnson posted his seventh double-double of the season and 11th of his career with 13 points on 4-of-6 (66.7 percent) shooting and a game-high 10 rebounds. Shabazz reached double figures for the eighth consecutive game with 11 points, while adding five rebounds.
Tyrell Johnson had 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks off the bench. He also moved into fifth place in program history in career blocks, recording the 119th of his career. Also off the bench, Bibby drained a trio of three-pointers to finish with nine points.
Malik Benlevi tallied a game-high 20 points and added nine rebounds to pace Georgia State. D'Marcus Simonds and Kane Williams each finished with 18 points.
App State went 27-of-54 (50.0 percent) from the field, while Georgia State was 29-of-60 (48.3 percent). The Mountaineers held a 36-25 edge in the rebounding battle.
Appalachian State will look to bounce back on Saturday against Georgia Southern at 2 p.m. inside the Holmes Center. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Appalachian Sports Network from IMG Learfield College. Single game tickets are on sale and can be purchased by clicking here or by contacting the Appalachian State ticket office at 828-262-2079.
