BOONE, N.C. -- Tommy Spagnolo scored 12 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds to propel Appalachian State past Georgia Southern 81-68 on Saturday.

The Mountaineers (5-13, 1-4 Southern Conference) broke the game open with an 18-2 spurt midway through the second half that included 3-pointers by Spagnolo, Tab Hamilton and two from Chris Burgess to make it 70-52 with about four minutes to play.

Hamilton contributed 17 points, Burgess added 15 and Michael Obacha 14 for Appalachian State, which shot 48 percent from the field, including 10 of 20 beyond the arc.

Georgia Southern junior, Jelani Hewitt, hit 1,000 career points in the loss, reaching the milestone on his final bucket, the second of two free throws late in the second half.

The Eagles (9-10, 2-2) nearly retook the lead with 13 minutes to go, tying the score at 44 before being shut down in the Appalachian State breakaway run.