Sun Belt play starts for Troy, App State

Troy (5-4, 0-0) vs. Appalachian State (6-3, 0-0)

Holmes Convocation Center, Boone, North Carolina; Friday, 6 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Troy and Appalachian State meet in the first conference game of the season for both teams. In conference play last season, Troy finished with five wins and 15 losses, while Appalachian State won 11 games and lost nine.

SAVVY SENIORS: Appalachian State's Donovan Gregory, Michael Almonacy and James Lewis Jr. have combined to account for 36 percent of the team's scoring this season, including 38 percent of all Mountaineers points over the last five games.WONDERFUL WILLIAMS: In nine appearances this season, Troy's Zay Williams has shot 48.6 percent.

UNBEATEN WHEN: The Mountaineers are 6-0 when holding opponents to 41.2 percent or worse from the field, and 0-3 when opponents shoot better than that. The Trojans are 5-0 when they score at least 61 points and 0-4 on the year when falling short of 61.

STREAK STATS: Appalachian State has won its last three home games, scoring an average of 81.7 points while giving up 48.3.

DID YOU KNOW: The Appalachian State defense has allowed only 56.7 points per game to opponents this season, ranking the Mountaineers ninth among Division I teams. The Troy offense has averaged 60.9 points through nine games (ranked 253rd, nationally).

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