BOONE, N.C. -- Ronshad Shabazz became the program's all-time leader in field goals made as Appalachian State men's basketball defeated Troy 72-64 on Thursday evening inside the Holmes Center.
The Mountaineers (11-19, 6-11 SBC) clinch a spot in the Sun Belt Tournament by virtue of the victory and loss by Little Rock.
Shabazz converted on the 701st field goal of his career at the 12:42 mark of the first half. He passed Don King who made 700 field goals in his career from 1958-61. Shabazz went on to finish with 13 points on five made field goals, bringing his career total to 704.
Tyrell Johnson finished with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-10 (60.0 percent) shooting, four rebounds and two blocks off the bench.
Justin Forrest added 15 points, four rebounds and three steals, while Isaac Johnson had 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
App State held an early 14-13 lead and got three-pointers from Forrest on three consecutive possessions to build a 23-17 lead midway through the first half. Troy (11-18, 4-13 SBC) countered with the next seven points to take a 24-23 with 5:43 left in the opening half. App State answered back with a 14-2 run to take open a 37-26 lead and took a 41-31 lead into the break.
In the second half, the Black and Gold used an early 8-0 run to build a 51-37 advantage. The Trojans cut the Mountaineer lead to 10 points at 53-43, but App State responded with nine consecutive points to build a 62-43 lead, putting the game away.
The Mountaineers finished 27-of-59 (45.8 percent) from the field, while the Trojans were 28-of-63 (44.4 percent). App State won the rebounding battle 37-33, including a 10-8 advantage on the offensive glass. The Black and Gold also held a 14-4 advantage in second chance points.
Javan Johnson had a game-high 17 points to lead Troy. B.J. Miller had 14 points and five steals and Darian Adams chipped in with 12 points.
Appalachian State will close out the 2018-19 season on Saturday against 2 p.m. against South Alabama. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Appalachian Sports Network from Learfield IMG College. The Mountaineers also will hold Senior Day festivities prior to the tip with the Jaguars.
