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Jeyhoun Allebaugh | The Appalachian
ASU coach Houston Fancher recently attained his 100th career victory against elon university last week. adding to that tally was Appalachian's win over the College of Charlestion Saturday, 86-76. |
Men's basketball topples CofC, 86-76
by Chris Zaluski
Staff Writer
As the closing seconds ticked away in Saturday’s game against the College of Charleston Cougars, it was obvious which team wanted to win more.
With only 8:00 left and ASU trailing by seven, the Mountaineers pulled together and mounted a late-game comeback to win, 86-76.
ASU’s sophomore point guard D.J. Thompson was the driving force in the comeback as he converted on two three-point plays and forced a turnover with 30 seconds left to seal the victory.
Contributing to this comeback were seniors Herbert Jones and Noah Brown, who both made big shots from behind the arc. Jones’ three-pointer gave ASU a one-point lead late in the second half, while Brown’s shot strengthened the lead to five in the final minute.
Appalachian head coach Houston Fancher said he was happy with his team’s determination and its ability to make big plays.
“I think tonight we did a good job of finishing,” Fancher said. “We had some kids who really stepped up and showed some toughness, and the team that plays the toughest is going to win.”
This toughness was evident from tip-off as Appalachian came out and took a quick 13-point lead. The lead was fueled by the fast-paced defense ASU has grown accustomed to in recent wins.
Despite this defense, the Mountaineers lost some momentum in the middle of the first half, and went into halftime trailing by two.
ASU freshman forward Douglass McLaughlin-Williams said the team knew not to worry when they were down.
“We knew not to panic and take it one possession at a time,” Williams said. “We knew we wanted to keep chipping away, keep getting stops and keep converting.”
This philosophy guided the Mountaineers out of the locker room and into the second half.
Charleston head coach Tom Herrion said that the constant pressure by Appalachian hurt the Cougars late in the game.
“I think it was just a continuous inability at any point to ever get any quality [defensive] stops,” Herrion said.
Appalachian took advantage of the Cougar’s problems and managed to convert offensively.
A questionable shot clock violation call in favor of the Mountaineers late in the game enabled Brown to hit an uncontested three-pointer, giving ASU a 5-point lead with 0:58 left. Though this was small breathing room, it pushed ASU into their late-game drive.
Thompson’s aggressive presence on the court, both offensively and defensively, was a driving force in the victory. He also led the game in two categories by scoring 19 points and dishing out five assists.
For the second game in a row, Fancher started Thompson, Demetrious Scott, Nathan Cranford, McLaughlin-Williams and Jeremy Clayton.
Fancher said he feels the team’s hard work and unselfish play has created a strong confidence in the players.
“I think this group showed that when they walked out of the locker room, they were supposed to win this basketball game,” Fancher said. “They’re going in with that much hunger.”
Corwin Davis and Derek Thomas did not dress or sit with the team. Both were suspended for a violation of team rules.
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Track, field competes at Niswonger Invitational
by Karen Holbrook
Intern Writer
The Appalachian State track and field team traveled to the East Tennessee State Memorial Center to compete in the Niswonger Track and Field Invitational Saturday.
The top 15 finishers for the first day women's events included Vonteena Knotts, who placed seventh in the women's long jump with a distance of 5.73 meters. Caren Mah finished fifth in the women's pole vault at the height of 3.20 meters.
Shot put boasted five top 10 finishers, including the No. 1 finisher, freshman Brittani Williams, with a distance of 14.25 meters. Also in the top 15 were, Nikole Simmons in fifth at 13.50 meters, Beverly Burnett in ninth at 13.24 meters, and Kristie Boggan in 10th at 13.03 meters.
The women's triple jump included a No. 4 finish from Jennifer Cloud at a distance of 12.62 meters, and a ninth place finish from Paula Moore at 11.87 meter.
In the men's first day events, the top finishers were included sophomore Bryan Burney, leading the team with a fourth place finish in the men's 800-meter with a time of 1:52.60.
In the triple jump category Mark Sturgis, placing eighth with 14.40 meters, and Joel Gaddy, placing 14th with 14.11 meters, came out strong.
Anthony Greer achieved a sixth place finish in weight throw with a distance of 17.21 meters.
In the second day of competition, the Mountaineers finished the distance running and men's pole vault with 17 results in the top 15 for each event.
Ehrin Irvin and Cailin Lynch placed eighth and 13th in the women's 5000-meter. Irvin finished with a time of 18:48.31, and Lynch finished with 19:14.03.
In the women's 3,000-meter, three of the Mountaineers were able to grab top 15 spots including third-place Kasey Smith with a time of 10:18.99. Jennifer Kelley placed sixth with a time of 10:41.55. Eighth place Meghan Gaffney finished a close 10 seconds later with a time of 10:51.63.
Eighth place Jenny Flaherty and 12th place Anna Baker finished in the top 15 in the women's 800-meter. Flaherty finished with a time of 2:25.48 and Baker with a time of 2:27.69.
In the men's categories on the second day, success came in categories such as the 5,000-meter, 3,000-meter, mile, shot put and pole vault.
The top finishers for the men's 5,000-meter included third place Carson Blackwelder, 15:15.50, fourth place Mark Maddox, 15:16.42, and sixth place Mike Mitchell 15:24.43.
The 3,000-meter finishers include Adam Van Nortwick, finishing fourth with a time of 8:39.77 and Nathan Hernandez-Adams, finishing 13th with a time of 8:51.61.
Mat Cote finished ninth in the men's mile with a time of 4:26.31.
Pole Vault had three top 15 finishers from Appalachian including Dan Queen, Joe Irvin, and Barron Shell. Queen finished with a fifth place spot at 4.60 meters. Irvin obtained a close sixth with 4.30 meters and Shell came in 12th, also finishing at 4.30 meters.
Overall the Mountaineers placed 32 in the top 15 finishes during the two-day invitational. They will host the Mountaineers Winter Open next weekend, Jan. 28-29.
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