We are LIVE tonight from the Holmes Center in Boone for a college basketball postseason tournament doubleheader of action. The Appalachian Lady Mountaineers are hosting College of Charleston in the Women's Basketball Invitational, while the ASU men are preparing to take on the Pacific Tigers in the semifinals of the CollegeInsiders.com Basketball Tournament.The Appalachian women come into their contest 21-12, while the College of Charleston Cougars are 21-11 overall. The winner will take on the winner of Texas A&M Corpus Christi/Memphis, also being played tonight.
We'll be providing updates periodically of the ladies' contest leading up to the men's tournament contest! In the meantime...
PREVIEWING ASU/PACIFIC
Appalachian returns home to take on the Pacific Tigers in a CBI semifinal contest after defeating Marshall 80-72 in Huntington, WV on Monday night. Donald Sims scored a team-high 30 points for the Black and Gold on 9-for-23 shooting, including four 3-pointers and a perfect 8 of 8 from the free throw line. Sims is the country's leading free-throw shooter, making an astounding 95% of his shots from the charity stripe this season.
Isaac Butts had a season-high 16 rebounds as Appalachian out-rebounded the Thundering Herd 47-28 in the win, a season-high team total for the Mountaineers.
ASU's 24th win on Monday night moved the team within one of the program record, set during the 2006-07 season.
Pacific advanced to this evening's semifinal after a 63-59 win over Northern Colorado in their quarterfinal game Monday night. Pacific upended Loyola Marymount on the road 86-76. Pacific forces 11.5 turnovers per game and 5.4 team steals per contest. Pacific comes into the game winners of 5 of its last 6 contests, the lone defeat coming at the hands of Long Beach State.
The winner of tonight's game takes on the winner of the other semifinal between Creighton and Missouri State. ASU would play on the road if they win this evening.
Update #1: In the ladies' contest, the Lady Mountaineers are in control, leading Charleston 31-15 with 4:52 to play in the first half. Ashlen Dewart has eight points, while Anna Freeman has scored six and Courtney Freeman has scored five for the Lady Apps.
Update #2: The ASU Lady Mountaineers lead Charleston 40-18 at halftime. A dominant performance thus far for the Black and Gold.
Update #3: Appalachian's women lead Charleston 59-39 with 8:53 left to play in the second half. Charleston has had no answer for the play of Ashen Dewart, who has 16 points, and Anna Freeman, who is also in double-figures with 12 points. No Charleston player has reached double-figures yet in the contest.
Update #4: Appalachian's ladies cruise to a decisive 77-58 victory and advances to the finals of the WBI Postseason Tournament. Ashlen Deward had 25 points and six rebounds in the victory, while Anna Freeman added 17 points and 9 rebounds. Catherine Williams and Chakeitha Weldon added eight points apiece.
Appalachian held a decisive advantage rebounding the ball and exploited COC's lack of size, primarily in the paint.
The second half of the doubleheader from Holmes Center is coming up next, as the ASU Mountaineer men will host Pacific.
Update #5: It's GAME TIME from Holmes Center as ASU hosts Pacific!
16:55 left in the first half and ASU takes a 30-second timeout following a 9-2 run by the Tigers to open the ball game. Joe Ford has four points inside, while guard Demetrece Young has five quick points. Kellen Brand has the only deuce for the Mountaineers.
Update #6: With 13:38 to play in the half the Mountaineers are struggling from the field as Pacific leads 16-4. App is struggling from the perimeter and getting only one shot.
Update #7: 11:00 exactly to play before halftime. Pacific leads ASU 21-7. Young has seven for the Tigers, with four apiece from Sam Willard and Joe Ford. Kellen Brand has five points to lead the Mountaineers, with the other bucket from Ryann Abraham.
Update #8: Pacific leads ASU 25-13 at the 7:36 mark of the opening half. Kellen Brand has seven points to lead the Mountaineers, while leading scorer Donald Sims has been held scoreless for the first 12:24 of this game.
Sam Willard has six points for the Tigers to go with Young's eight. Six Tigers in all have scored thus far, while only three Mountaineers have registered points on the scoreboard.
With 5:50 left to play in the half, Coach Buzz Peterson has to take a 30 second timeout as Pacific opens its lead up to 15 points at 31-16. Sims has his first points on a three-pointer, but the size of the Tigers has been a factor thus far, as well as shooting a great percentage from the field.
Update #9: Pacific continues to control the contest, leading 35-18 with 3:27 left before intermission. Sam Willard has been the story thus far with 14 points. Kellen Brand continues to lead ASU with seven points.
Update #10: Play is stopped with 1:37 to play in the half while the officials look at a video monitor regarding a hard foul on the floor. The officials and coaches huddled at midcourt to discuss the play with Pacific leading 35-19. After conferring, the officials call an intentional foul on Terrell Smith. As the luck of the Apps thus far, ASU misses both free throws.
Young hits a three-pointer for the Tigers in the final 30 seconds to close the scoring. Pacific leads 38-19 at halftime. A large deficit for the Mountaineers to overcome with 20 minutes left to play. Donald Sims is held to only three points in the half, while the Tigers have both Young (11) and Willard (14) in double-figures. Kellen Brand leads ASU with 8 first-half points.
Update #11: 15:13 left in the game and ASU trails 45-28. In an unrelated note, congrats to Butler University, taking down another #1 NCAA seed in Syracuse. It's been a tough season for the favored teams thus far.
Update #12: Appalachian has ratcheted up the defense, allowing only seven points through the first eight minutes of the second half. ASU has cut the lead to 12 at 47-35 with 10:38 left to play. Donald Sims has reached double-figures with 13 points and the ASU fans are back in the game as the Mountaineers forge a comeback.
Update #13: Pacific comes out of the previous media timeout on a 7-4 run to extend its lead back to 15 points at 54-39. A Joe Ford dunk prompts ASU head coach Buzz Peterson to take a full timeout to talk to his squad. 9:07 left from the Holmes Center.
Update #14: Donald Sims simply will not let the Mountaineers go down without a fight. Sims has 22 for the game, including a rebound and three-point basket to cut the Pacific lead back to a dozen at 56-44 and induce a Tigers time out with 6:03 left in the contest. ASU is 5 of 9 from three point range in this half to keep the team close.
Update #15: A long exchange saw Appalachian have three tip-in opportunities come up short before the ball found its way to Jeremi Booth, who drained a three-pointer to finally cut the Pacific lead under ten at 58-49 with 4:53 left. Looks like an exciting finish!
The Holmes Center is ON ITS FEET after a basket by Brand off a steal and a Nathan Healy bucket cuts the lead to five points at 58-53. Final media timeout with 3:52 to play. The crowd is frenetic! The tip-around and eventual three-pointer has energized the Mountaineers, forcing a pair of turnovers since that point and securely gaining momentum of the contest. Awesome atmosphere for a great completion to this one!
Update #16: Under two minutes to play and ASU is down 62-53 after four Pacific free throws and a pair of ASU missed shots. Tigers look to run clock.
Appalachian has gone cold from the field in the past two and a half minutes and Pacific appears headed to the win leading by 11, but a quick AJ Highsmith three-pointer cuts the lead to 64-56 with 53 seconds left to play.
Update #17: 64-56 Pacific leads with 33 seconds left. A final shot by ASU is no good, Pacific rebounds and will run out the clock for the 64-56 victory. The Mountaineers will end their season with a final record of 24-13, with a 13-5 SoCon record and SoCon North Division championship under its belt. Quite a fine first season for Coach Peterson to build on in his first year back at the helm of the Appalachian men's basketball program.
Sims finished with 22 for the Mountaineers, with 12 from Kellen Brand. Sam Willard scored 22 to lead Pacific, with 12 from Demetrece Young and eight from Joe Ford.
Thanks again for reading the Blog!! Game photos will be posted shortly!
