College basketball: Mountaineers defeat Georgia State

Published 11:32 pm Thursday, January 26, 2023

Associated Press

BOONE — Terence Harcum scored 21 points as Appalachian State beat Georgia State 71-59 on Thursday night.

Harcum added five rebounds for the Mountaineers (12-10, 5-4 Sun Belt Conference). Donovan Gregory added 16 points while going 5 of 14 from the floor, including 1 for 3 from distance, and 5 for 6 from the line, and he also had seven rebounds and five steals. Christopher Mantis was 5 of 8 shooting (4 for 6 from distance) to finish with 14 points.

The Panthers (9-12, 2-7) were led  by Jamaine Mann, who finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Brenden Tucker added 11 points.

Duke’s Whitehead out for Ga. Tech game

DURHAM (AP) — Duke won’t have touted freshman Dariq Whitehead for Saturday’s game at Georgia Tech due to a left-leg injury and it’s unclear exactly when he’ll return.

Coach Jon Scheyer didn’t reveal specifics beyond describing it as a “strain.” But Whitehead seems to have avoided what appeared to be a serious injury in Monday’s loss at Virginia Tech.

“I think he got a lot of relief once we had done the testing, got the MRI and no structural damage, which is important,” Scheyer said. “So he’s relieved, I know that. We just need to make sure we make smart decisions and take our time with him.”

Whitehead was hurt when he jumped to knock a ball away from Hokies forward Justyn Mutts. He grabbed at the back of his lower leg near his ankle as he landed. He ended the night on crutches with ice wrapped around his leg.

The 6-foot-7, 220-pound wing had averaged 8.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in his 16 appearances.

Whitehead suffered a broken right foot in late August during a team workout and needed surgery. He missed the first three games of the season and then missed a December loss at Wake Forest due to a non-COVID illness. Whitehead had gradually worked into a larger role, scoring in double figures in six of his last eight games.

NC A&T downs Drexel 68-55

GREENSBORO (AP) — Marcus Watson had 22 points and North Carolina A&T beat Drexel 68-55 on Thursday.

Watson had eight rebounds for the Aggies (11-12, 6-4 Colonial Athletic Association). Demetric Horton added 16 points while going 6 of 9 from the floor, including 2 for 3 from distance. Kam Woods added 11 points.

Justin Moore led the Dragons (12-9, 6-3) with 14 points. Drexel also got 14 points from Coletrane Washington.

Hofstra defeats Elon 82-65

ELON (AP) — Aaron Estrada put up a career-high 40 points, making eight 3-pointers, as Hofstra beat Elon 82-65.

Estrada shot 16 for 25, including 8 for 15 from beyond the arc for the Pride (14-8, 7-2 Colonial Athletic Association).

Sean Halloran led the Phoenix (2-19, 0-8) with 24 points. Torrence Watson added 12 points and 11 rebounds for Elon. Jerald Gillens-Butler had eight points, six rebounds and three steals.

Rice defeats Charlotte 65-63

HOUSTON (AP) — Quincy Olivari led Rice with 26 points and 10 rebounds and sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with two seconds left as the Owls defeated Charlotte 65-63 on Thursday night.

Aly Khalifa’s 3-pointer for Charlotte tied the game at 63-all with 13 seconds left.

Mekhi Mason added 15 points for Rice (15-5, 6-3 Conference USA). Cameron Sheffield was 4 of 5 from the field to finish with nine points.

Lu’Cye Patterson led the 49ers (13-8, 4-6) in scoring, finishing with 18 points, five assists and three steals. Khalifa added 13 points and Igor Milicic Jr. had 10.

Mason scored seven points in the first half and Rice went into the break trailing 28-27. Olivari scored 20 points in the second half for Rice, including his game-winning shot in the final minute.