Upstate native Donald Sims corralled a loose ball, hit two free throws and grabbed a critical rebound in the final minute of ASU's thrilling victory Game statistics

Appalachian Grinds Out a 52-49 SoCon Victory at Wofford
by Appalachian Sports Information

January, 10, 2008 - SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Appalachian State men’s basketball overcame a late Wofford rally and got clutch play down the stretch to earn a 52-49 victory at Wofford Thursday evening. Kellen Brand led the Mountaineers with 12 points while freshman Donald Sims had nine points and three critical plays in the final minute to seal ASU’s third-straight win.

Appalachian (8-6, 3-2 SoCon) led for all but 23 seconds of the second half until Wofford’s Shane Nichols got an off balance three-pointer from the top of the arc to rattle in and pull the Terriers (8-6, 1-3 SoCon) within one point, 50-49, with 22 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, the Apps called a timeout to run a play to against the Terrier press.

However, the Terriers managed to get a hand on and steal the inbound pass but weren’t able to maintain possession as Davis Bowne tipped the next pass. Sims tracked down the loose ball and held onto it, forcing the Terriers to foul the sure-shot with 8.4 seconds left.

Sims drained both free throws to put ASU up 52-49 and then Drew Gibson attempted a three-pointer which drew iron and fell into Sims’ waiting hands as time expired to preserve the victory. Both teams shot 40 percent in the game and the Apps only coughed up the ball nine times, the second-fewest miscues this season.

The Apps led 26-20 at half and extended that lead to as many as the Terriers didn’t hit a field goal in the first 7:17 of the stanza. However the shot the ended the drought was a Nichols four-point play the immediately trimmed the margin to five, 33-28. Nichols paced the Terriers with 15 points in the loss.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair with four lead changes and neither team holding an advantage greater than six points. ASU assumed its biggest lead at 26-20 on a three-pointer from Brand with two minutes left in the half. Brand led all players with seven first half points, while Doug McLaughlin-Williams added six points on a pair of three-pointers.

ASU could only muster 38.7 percent shooting but committed just one turnover while the Terriers opened up the game shooting 40 percent over the first 20 minutes.

The Mountaineers will return home for the first time in nearly a month on Saturday when they host UNC Greensboro in their first SoCon North Division game of the season. Tipoff at the Holmes Center is slated for 3 p.m.