As of right now, it appears as though the Southern Conference regular season championship may be more up for grabs than ever. However, Appalachian State University may just be the team holding the tightest grip. 

Following ASU’s 85-64 pummeling of East Tennessee State Monday night at Varsity Gymnasium, the Mountaineers crept into sole possession of first place in the conference’s North Division, ahead of UNC-Greensboro, who lost to Georgia Southern Monday night. 

Appalachian, enjoying an early 3-0 conference start, finds itself atop a Southern Conference that is not sure which team it wants in control early on in the season. 

In last Saturday’s action, perennial contender Davidson was knocked off by upstart UNCG, which in turn lost to the Eagles, falling to 2-1.  After toppling Furman Monday, the Wildcats sit at 1-1 in the conference, leaving Appalachian on top for now.  

And although being taken to the ropes by Furman, returning South Division champion and past NCAA Tournament representative College of Charleston has set an early pace in the South with a 3-0 mark. 

Monday night’s victory was the 100th career coaching appearance by Appalachian Head Coach Buzz Peterson, who is now 65-35 with the Mountaineers.  Peterson’s centennial game parade was rained on, but fortunately for the UNC-Chapel Hill grad, it was by his own team. 

Peterson’s Mountaineers caught fire against the Bucs, shooting a phenomenal 53 percent from the floor largely due to junior Rufus Leach, who tied a school record single-game performance hitting eight three-point baskets. 

“Well, coach wanted us to penetrate and dish off so that our perimeter game could be effective, and that’s exactly what we did,” said Leach, who led all scoring with 30 points on eight of 11 shooting from beyond the arc. 

“He’s done a great job of shooting the ball lately, but Matt (McMahon) and Tyson (Patterson) have also done a great job of getting him the ball on those wings,” said Peterson on the hot shooting of Leach. 

Appalachian seemingly put the game away early after going up 18-6 on three straight three-point baskets by the Mountaineers, including two in a row by Leach. 

 Leach tallied 17 points in the first half on five three-pointers and gave ASU a 44-34 lead at the half. 

With 12 minutes left to go in the game, the Bucs cut the Mountaineers’ lead to 60-54 during an Appalachian offensive drought.  But an immediate 8-0 scoring run and then a 14-4 run in the final five minutes gave the Apps a margin they did not relinquish. 

Appalachian continued its red hot shooting on the season, now shooting 49 percent as a team while holding ETSU to just 34 percent from the floor.  The Mountaineers also ousted the Bucs in rebounding with a 35-30 edge. 

Patterson had 19 points and Cedrick Holmes added 12 for the Apps, while D.J. McDuffie led four Buc double-digit scorers with 16 points. 
Appalachian returns to Johnson City on Saturday night to face East Tennessee State for the second straight meeting. 

East Tennessee State leads the all time series with the Mountaineers holding a  66-42 advantage.  ASU also posts a record of 8-13 at the Memorial Center in Johnson City. 

Last year, the Mountaineers’ six-game win streak was put to a halt in Johnson City after the Bucs dispatched ASU handily 83-60.  Tip time is at 7:30 p.m. 

Mike Boteilho Managing Editor 

It is not everyday that a team can go cold for much of the beginning of the second half and still come out with a 21 point win over a tough division rival. But that is exactly what happened Monday night as the Mountaineer men extended their winning streak to four games early in this new season. 

With much of Varsity Gymnasium sitting in shock in the second half as East Tennessee State cut the 15 point Mountaineer lead to six, Head Coach Buzz Peterson quickly called a time-out to try to slow down the Bucs’ attack. “I told our guys to relax, and that there was no need to panic,” said Peterson. “We just needed to go down and run a set play and win the game on the defensive side.” 

The set play ended up with two key free throws by sophomore reserve forward Buddy Davis, which pushed the lead back to eight. More importantly, the play got the crowd back into the game. 

“I knew I had to make (the free throws),” said Davis. “Coach (Peterson) really didn’t have much to say to me, because he knew I could knock them down.”  

Senior leader Tyson Patterson also knew what had to be done to withstand the Bucs’ charge. “We just had to make some better passes, and do the things that got us up by 15,” said Patterson. “We got kind of content with the big lead, and really weren’t doing the fundamentals that got us the lead.” 

The time-out also woke up the big giant in 6-foot-7-inch Corey Cooper. “I started using my strength against them to move them away from the basket,” said Cooper. “Coach (Peterson) also told me to keep my hands up to keep them distracted the best way I can.” Whatever was said during the time-out, Peterson woke up the warriors in the men, as the team stormed back to a double-digit lead as quickly as it lost it. 

The Mountaineers hope that their killer instinct is still intact as they travel to ETSU to finish the home and home series with the Bucs.