Donte Minter finished two points shy of a career high (ASU Athletics photo) Game statistics

Minter Pushes Apps Past The Citadel
by Appalachian Sports Information

February 9, 2008 - BOONE, N.C. -- In a game of runs, Appalachian State University men’s basketball outscored The Citadel 20-11 over the final 8:57 of play to claim a thrilling 75-71 overtime victory on Saturday afternoon at the Holmes Center.

Donte Minter led Appalachian’s late charge, as he scored 12 of the team’s 20 points over the decisive late-game run. The senior finished with 25 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field and 9-of-10 efficiency from the free-throw line. His 25 points were a season high and fell just two points shy of his career best, set in a win over Vanderbilt in the championship game of the 2006 San Juan Shootout, which was, coincidentally, ASU’s last overtime triumph.

Appalachian (15-8, 10-4 SoCon) trailed 60-55 with 3:57 to go in the second period, but scored six of the final seven points in regulation to send the game to overtime. ASU used a 6-0 run to take a 61-60 lead with 3.6 seconds to go, but Ryann Abraham fouled The Citadel’s Cameron Wells and the freshman knocked down the first of two charity shots to knot the contest at 61-61. Abraham’s three-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out and the contest went to extra minutes.

In the extra period, the Apps struck first, going up three on a three-point play from Jeremy Clayton 45 seconds into overtime. A Minter three-point play with 2:07 on the clock would put ASU up six, 69-63. The Mountaineers converted on five of their six three-point play opportunities. From there, the squad salted away the win with free throws, making all eight of its attempts in the extra period.

The first half was punctuated by two huge runs. After the Mountaineers jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, the Bulldogs responded by scoring the next 19 points to take a 19-5 lead with 6:32 remaining in the opening half. The Apps answered by closing the half on a 24-4 run to take a 29-23 advantage into the locker room.

The Citadel (5-17, 0-13 SoCon) opened the second half on another spurt, out-scoring ASU 18-7 over the first seven minutes of the period to take a 41-36 lead. From there it was largely a back-and-forth affair, as the lead changed hands eight times before The Citadel took the five-point lead with under four minutes remaining in regulation.

In addition to Minter’s season-best performance, ASU’s offense was led by Jeremy Clayton, who notched his fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Donald Sims added 13 points and Abraham chipped in 11 to lead four Apps in double-figures.

The Citadel also had four scorers in double-figures, led by Wells’ 17.