Spartans fast start too much for Mountaineers

James Nix - Sports Beat

The Appalachian State University women’s basketball team stayed consistent with its 83-66 loss to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) Saturday afternoon in the George M. Holmes Convocation Center.

The consistency came in the first half, when Appalachian (6-13, 2-8 Southern Conference) dug itself a deep hole to struggle out of in the second half.

“We have a bad habit of digging a hole in the first half and roaring back in the second half,” said head coach Barbie Breedlove. “We’ve been playing people even in the second half.”

The Mountaineers jumped to a slight lead in the opening minutes with senior forward Ashleigh Fuller’s layup followed by freshman guard Michelle Conklin’s three-point shot.

A couple of quick shots put Greensboro in the lead for the rest of the half.

At the 15-minute mark sophomore forward Joanie White left the game with an ankle injury. She will miss the next few games, said Breedlove.

White leads the Mountaineers in scoring and rebounds per game.

Appalachian ended the first half trailing 39-21 after shooting only 23 percent from the field, 12 percent from three-point territory and 75 percent from the free throw line.

The Mountaineers entered the second half in a similar predicament to games past.

The Spartans’ 18-point lead gave Appalachian little chance, even though it out-scored the Spartans 45-44 in the second half.

By the midway point of the second half, Appalachian cut the Spartan lead to 11.

Greensboro extended the lead to 14, but then made a mistake.
Three fouls put Conklin and freshman guard Jessica Jank on the free throw line for six easy points.

Junior guard Jaymi Wilson then made a three-point shot despite being knocked down by a foul. She drained the following free throw to bring Appalachian within four.

It seemed the momentum of the game had turned in Appalachian’s favor, but UNCG is the top team in the SoCon for a reason.

The Spartans went on a 15-0 run, which silenced the Appalachian fans and crumbled any hope the Mountaineers had.

Breedlove then went to her bench, giving her starters a rest as the final seconds ran down.

After the Mountaineers cut the lead to four, Breedlove said she should have called one more time out than she did.

The defensive transition for the Mountaineers allowed UNCG many easy buckets. This may be due to a new full-court zone press Breedlove has her team working with.

The new defense was added for the second half of the conference season after Appalachian has played everybody once, said Breedlove.

Appalachian’s poor first-half play has plagued the team in five out of its last six losses. In practice the team is shooting much more than usual in hopes of raising first half shooting percentages, said Breedlove.

“We’re shooting more than we typically do,” said Breedlove. “But we’re not shooting well.”

Paul Sherar - Chief Photographer

ASU guard Jaymi Wilson puts pressure on a UNCG player. Wilson made a three-point shot despite being knocked down by a foul in the middle of the second half of the game. She drained the following free throw to bring Appalachian within four. The Mountaineers host the Furman Paladins Saturday in the George M. Holmes Convocation Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Paul Sherar - Chief Photographer

ASU guard Chris McFarland had 15 points and four steals in last Wednesday's win over Gardner Webb. McFarland made quite an impression with Appalachian State fans, consistently energizing the crowd by pumping his fists or bumping chests with teammates.

ASU outlasts Gardner Webb in OT;
snap Bulldog home streak

Chris Boyce - Sports Beat

ASU Sports Information

Just when it seemed that the Appalachian State University men’s basketball team was taking a plunge in Southern Conference respectability, the Mountaineers rebounded, winning two consecutive games.

One came Saturday against the South Division’s second-place team, The Citadel Bulldogs, as the Mountaineers defeated The Citadel (13-6, 5-2 in SoCon) 78-74 in Charleston, S.C.

Graham Bunn’s three-pointer and free throw late in the contest enabled Appalachian State (7-12, 2-6 in SoCon) to escape a tough Bulldog team who had previously won 14 straight games at McAlister Field House.

“This was a heartfelt win for our team in a very hard place to play,” said Appalachian head coach Houston Fancher after the win
Mountaineer freshman Shawn Hall had a huge game, leading Appalachian State with 14 points, but it was Bunn who sealed the deal.

Up 77-74, with 10 seconds remaining, Appalachian
State sophomore Matt Jones missed on a pair of charity tosses, but forward Nate Carson’s controlled tip allowed Bunn to gather the ball. After being fouled, the Wake Forest native hit one of two free throws with 4.6 seconds left to secure the win.

The Mountaineers established a 15-point lead going into the half highlighted by an 8-0 run to finish the first half.

The Citadel started hot with a three-pointer from Alan Puckett, but as it did all afternoon long, Appalachian State answered. Sophomore guard Matt Jones hit a jumper and followed with a layup to propel the Mountaineers into the lead, 4-3.

Three days earlier the Mountaineers experienced perhaps their most courageous victory of the season, defeating a tough Gardner Webb team, 101-93 in overtime at Holmes Convocation Center.

Appalachian State was led by forward Josh Shehan’s 20-point, 14-rebound performance and freshman Chris McFarland’s 15 points and four steals.

McFarland made quite an impression with Appalachian State fans, consistently energizing the crowd by pumping his fists or bumping chests with teammates.

With the Mountaineers trailing 81-79 and less than a minute remaining in regulation, McFarland found Nate Carson for a 12-foot jump shot tying the game.

McFarland made his presence felt in overtime as well, opening the extra period with a three-point shot and an alley-oop lay-in on the Mountaineers ensuing possession that gave Appalachian State an 88-84 lead.

Donald Payne’s jumper from the top of the key on the Mountaineers’ next possession nailed the coffin shut in the form of a six-point lead and only a minute and a half remaining in the overtime session.

With the pair of victories, Appalachian State still finds itself in last place in the North Division with a 2-6 conference record.

But for a young Mountaineer team who had endured losing eight of the last nine contests, any winning streak is something to build on.