MOBILE, Ala. – Isiah Gaiter set a new career-high with 29 points, but it was not enough as the South Alabama men's basketball team fell to Appalachian State 91-84 in overtime in the Mitchell Center Thursday night. The loss drops the Jags to 8-6 on the season and 1-1 in Sun Belt play, while the Mountaineers improved to 11-3 on year and 2-0 in conference play. 

Gaiter topped his career-high of 28 points set at Assumption in January of 2023 against Bentley University. He shot 11-for-23 from the field, dished out four assists, corralled two rebounds, and swiped two steals. Tyrell Jones earned a new season-high, scoring 19 points, grabbing five rebounds, and earning four assists. 

Thomas Howell turned in a gritty performance, securing a 10-point and 10-rebound double-double. This is Howell's second double-double of the season and the fourth double-digit rebounding game this season. Elijah Ormiston provided a jolt for the Jags off the bench, scoring 10 points and pulling down five rebounds. 

South Alabama had a lethal performance from the free throw line, shooting 91.7 percent from the charity stripe on the night. 

In a game where the lead changed seven times, regulation would come down to the final moments. Both teams traded buckets back and forth with under three minutes remaining in regulation until App State took an 82-80 lead with 19 seconds left in the game.Gaiter would miss a pullup jumper, grab an offensive rebound, and dish a pass off to Howell, who hammered home the game-tying dunk to send the game into overtime. In overtime, App State grabbed all the momentum and jumped onto a 9-2 run to secure the 91-84 victory. 

Game Facts (How it Happened) 

• South Alabama wasted no time starting this matchup as Julian Margrave hit a triple and a jumper, Jones splashed a triple, and Howell blasted a two-handed slam dunk to give South an immediate 10-2 lead with 17:22 left in the half. 

• After App State hit a three-pointer to stop the surge, Jones hit back-to-back buckets inside and Gaiter muscled in a tough finish to keep the Jags ahead 16-9 at the 15:20 mark. 

• The Mountaineers started to pick up steam and leaped out on a 12-2 run to take their first lead of the game 21-18 with 11:53 left in the half. 

• The Jags rifled back with a 10-2 run as Ormiston and Gaiter drained three-pointers to grab the lead back to 28-23 with 9:24 in the half. 

• App State launched on a 15-6 spurt to take a 38-34 lead with 2:27 remaining in the half. 

• The Mountaineers held the lead into the half, 44-43. 

• Appalachian State picked up right where they left in the second half as they'd extended their lead to 60-51 with 13:58 remaining in the game. 

• As the half progressed, both teams traded buckets back and forth, and when the Jags cut into the deficit 68-61 with 9:34 on the clock. 

• The Jaguars tied the game up two minutes later at 68-68 after Jones knocked down a three-pointer, Ormiston went coast-to-coast for a steal and score, and Gaiter drained two free throws. 

• Following a media timeout, App State made a flurry of trips to the free throw line and slammed home another dunk to take a 76-73 lead with 2:47 left in the game. 

• South Alabama fired right back as Howell flushed a layup, and Jones fought through the contact and hit an And- 1 layup to recapture the advantage 78-77 with 1:45 left. 

• App State took the lead 82-80 with 19 seconds in the game. Gaiter would miss a pull up jumper, grab his offensive rebound, and dished a pass off to Howell, who hammered home the game-tying dunk to send the game into overtime. During overtime, App State grabbed all the momentum and jumped onto a 9-2 run to secure the 91-84 victory. 

Notes

• Gaiter logged his 12th double-figure scoring game of the season and fourth 20-point game of the year. He hit a team-high and career-high in field goals with 11. 

• Despite being edged out in the rebounding battle, South Alabama earned 21 second-chance points compared to App State's 10. 

• The Jags had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio for the fifth time this year, dishing out 11 assists and totaling 10 turnovers. 

• The Jaguars played its best first half all season, shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 62.5 percent from behind the arc, and a perfect 6-for-6 (100%) from the free throw line. 

• Three different players had two steals for the third time this season. 

• Jones had scored double-figures for the third game in a row and the ninth team this year. 

Up Next

South Alabama will look to rebound at home against Georgia State on Saturday, Jan.6 at 3 p.m. CST.

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