|
by CHRIS IRELAND
Sports Reporter
The Appalachian State University men's basketball team fell
to The College of Charleston tonight in heart-breaking fashion, 91-87.
An 18-3 run in the closing minutes of the contest fell short
when Charleston guard Tony White Jr. sunk a 3-point basket with two seconds
remaining.
The Mountaineer charge nearly spoiled what was a
dominant Charleston performance.
After trading leads with ASU in the opening moments, the
Cougars seized control in the first half thanks to a balanced offensive attack.
Forwards Dustin Scott and Jeremy Simmons both logged 8
points for Charleston, while guard Andrew Goudelock led the team with 10.
Appalachian offered little firepower in return, shooting 35
percent from the field while going 3-11 from 3-point range.
After a 9-0 ASU run narrowed the Cougars' lead to one at
27-26, Charleston finished the half strong and took a 40-33 lead into the
locker room.
A Tyler Webb 3-pointer to start the second half narrowed the
gap to four and provided a ray of hope, but with 9:46 left to go Appalachian
found themselves trailing 57-71, searching in vain for a way to stop
Charleston's offensive charge.
The Cougars shot 56 percent from the field in the second
half while going 5-8 from 3-point range.
With 3:05 remaining, a victory for Bobby Cremins' squad
seemed imminent as it held an 83-69 lead.
But behind two 3-pointers by A.J. Highsmith and another by
Donald Sims, Appalachian made its final run of the contest, erasing the Cougar
advantage.
A pair of Marcus Wright free throws capped-off an 18-3 run
and gave Appalachian its first lead since it had a 5-4 lead with 17:36
remaining in the first half.
On Charleston's final possession, Goudelock found White Jr.
in the corner for the game-winning basket.
Appalachian had one last gasp, but forward Josh Hunter's
inbound pass to Donald Sims sailed out of bounds to seal the Mountaineer's fate.
Goudelock led Charleston with 17 points, and was one of
seven Cougars in double figures.
Junior guard Kellen Brand led the way for ASU with 22
points.
Charleston moves to 19-7 overall, with a 11-5 Southern
Conference record.
Appalachian (10-15, 7-10) visits the University of North
Carolina at Greensboro Thursday at 7 p.m.
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Show/Hide comments