It's time for part two of our Appalachian Football/Basketball doubleheader as the Appalachian State Mountaineers men's basketball team hosts the Camels of Campbell University. Appalachian is 1-2 on the season, while Campbell is 2-2 on the year.The Mountaineers have had a week to prepare for the Camels after falling 95-80 at Niagara last Saturday. Donald Sims netted 20 points in last week's loss, and this afternoon's game features the second-highest combined scoring average among all 122 Division 1 games played today across the NCAA at 171.8 combined points per game.
Kellen Brand leads the Mountaineers with a 19.3 ppg scoring average, while Isaac Butts averages 10.3 rpg.
We'll be bringing the action throughout the contest.
5:15 PM - 14:52 left in the opening half. Appalachian opens with a 12-2 spurt to tip off the contest. Five early points from Eduardo Bermudez and four from Isaac Butts pace the Black and Gold, as the team has also dominated on the glass thus far, getting a number of second chance opportunities.
5:20 PM -- 11:57 remaining in the first half and the Mountaineers lead it 17-8. Bermudez with eight points in the early going, Kellen Brand has poured in five as well. Jonathan Rodriguez has four points for Campbell.
Back-to-back 3s by Donald Sims and Jeremi Booth force Campbell to take a 30-second T.O. 25-10 Appalachian has raced out to a strong 15-point edge. They've been quicker to the basketball and forced a number of steals and turnovers.
5:40 PM -- Under 4 minute TV timeout, Appalachian leads 32-18. Butts continues to play strong inside as the Camels have no player his size to match up in the paint. Eight points for the 6'10", 285 pound center to match Bermudez for team lead thus far.
5:50 PM - 38-24 Appalachian leads at halftime. Butts leads the Apps in scoring with 10 points go to with 7 rebounds, with nine points from Bermudez, 5 from Brand, 4 by Booth, 3 points apiece from Wright and Sims, with a pair of points by Williamson, and a point each by Hunter and Webb.
Jonathan Rodriguez leads the Camels with 11 points, with three points by Jabril Bailey, and three players with two points each.
6:20 pm -- The Mountaineers are up 42-30 with 15:41 remaining in the game. App has used some 2-3 zone defense and the Camels have not been able to score from the perimeter with any sort of consistency.
6:30 PM -- Appalachian continues to maintain its double-digit lead at 49-35. ASU held a 27-15 rebounding advantage at halftime and continue to maintain that edge, as second-chance points has helped the team to keep its lead to this point.
Just over 8 minutes remain in the contest and a Campbell 13-7 run has cut the lead to 8 points at 56-48. The margin is the closest the team has come in the second half. Eduardo Bermudez has not been a presence at all in this second half, possibly due to an injury. More information as it becomes available.
6:50 PM -- 63-54 ASU and Campbell asks for timeout. Bermudez had been out an extended period due to a third foul picked up early in the second half. He re-entered the game and has two points on free throws in the half. Isaac Butts also picked up his fourth foul at the 7:00 mark. It will be interesting to see when Coach Fancher decides to bring his big man back into the game.
Final official time out of the contest at 3:56 in the game. Appalachian leads 68-60 as they have not been able to extend the lead. Rodrigues has paced the Campbell team with 22 points in the game.
ASU timeout with 2:10 remaining has the Apps leading 74-64.
7:10 PM -- ASU goes 2 for 2 on the day with a win over Campbell. Final Score: 79-66. App evens its record at 2-2 on the season.
