In a game that saw 13 lead changes and eight ties, the Georgia Southern men’s basketball team prevailed against an athletic Appalachian State squad, 73-64.

The Mountaineers were able to jump out to an early lead after speeding up head coach Clay Helton’s offense, which has struggled all season.

Forward Tamell Pearson of App State was able to space the floor, which hurt the Eagles early, but after a timeout, the energy in the building shifted to the hometown Eagles.

The leadership of Andre Savrasov greatly impacted the dynamic of the first half by being able to go and get a bucket when his team needed it most. Through the midpoint point in the first half, he earned a hard-fought 13 points.

Once again, the Eagles were able to ramp up the intensity on the defensive end and ultimately tie the game back up.

They limited App States’ leading scorer Donovan Gregory, to only four points by the break. In the first 10 minutes of action, the mountaineers shot 67%. After the crucial timeout by Helton to stop the run, the Eagle’s defense only allowed 11 points in the remaining minutes, notching things up at 29 a piece before the half.

The start of the second half kicked off in the same fashion in which the first half concluded. Fast-paced, with lots of misses and bodies all over the floor.

Neither team was able to gain the spark needed to get a comfortable lead, which led to seven second-half lead changes.

The Mountaineers were able to find their stroke from deep, allowing them to jump out to a 52-43 lead with just under 12 minutes to play.

Yet again, another crucial timeout by the Eagles shifted the momentum back. Following the break, Savrasov single-handedly went on an 8-0 run, taking over the game with isolation plays.

The Mountaineers never found an answer for the Eagle’s starting forward and allowed him to penetrate to the bucket when needed, as well as airing it out from deep

The turning point in the game occurred when guard Jalen Finch hit three consecutive threes in a row, making the crowd erupt at the Hanner Fieldhouse.

The Eagles hit their free throws down the stretch, which they have struggled to do in previous games. The “foul game” started around the three-minute mark, and the Eagles were able to pull ahead and ultimately win the ball game.

The Eagles finished the regular season at 16-15 and split its conference games 9-9.

The Eagles finished in seventh place in the Sun Belt, receiving a first-round bye for the SBC Tournament. They will play their first postseason game on Thursday, Mar. 2nd, against the University of Louisiana Monroe at 8:30 p.m. ET. The tournament will take place at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla., and all games will be streamed live on ESPN +