UPDATE #10: ASU leads 76-65 with 1:13 to play. A pair of Neal free throws pushes the Mountaineers lead back over double-figures. ASU has stalled with the ball offensively for the past three possessions. The Mocs have only drawn within nine points only in the second half.
UPDATE #9: ASU's lead stands at 12 points at 71-59 with 3:51 remaining in the game. Mike Neal has 19 points to lead the Apps, with eight points from Tab Hamilton. Mitch Woods has chipped in with seven points, all in the second half. The Mocs has used the free throw line to slowly cut the lead without loss of time.
UPDATE #8: The Mountaineers lead has slipped to 61-49 with 8:05 to play, prompting a Mountaineer timeout, after what has amounted to a 20-10 scoring run.
UPDATE #7: ASU leads 57-40 with 11:57 to play in the game. An 11-6 mini-run by UTC has cut the ASU 22-point margin to 17. Ronrico White has a pair of three-pointers for UTC, as the Mocs have finally begun to warm up from the field, improving on a percentage that hovered around the 25-percent mark. ASU's defense has been tough, adding seven total blocks in the contest to its defensive effort.
UPDATE #6: ASU picked up where it left off to start the second half, outscoring UTC 11-6 over the first 3:13 of the second half. Mike Neal has 14 points, while Mitch Woods has a couple of baskets in the early going of the second 20 minutes.
UPDATE #5: At the half, ASU leads UTC 40-25. Jamaal Trice scored eight points in the half, with seven points from Healy and Neal. Zlovaric leads the Mocs with 10 points.
ASU shot 45.7 percent from the field in the first half, including 6-for-13 from three-point range. The Mocs converted only 9 of 34 shots for the first 20 minutes, including 4-of-16 from three-point range.
ASU committed just five turnovers in the half, compared to six for Chattanooga. ASU leads UTC 8-0 in fast break points, with an 18-6 advantage in bench points.
UPDATE #4: A 12-1 ASU run over the past 3:42 extends the Mountaineers lead to 35-20 with 3:45 remaining in the half. ASU has drained six-three point baskets thus far in 11 shots. Healy leads the Mountaineers with seven points, with six from Jamaal Trice and Mike Neal.
UPDATE #3: With 7:27 to play in the first half, ASU leads 23-19. Healy leads the Apps with five points, with four from Hausley. Zlovaric has paced the Mocs with eight points, with six points from Hampton. ASU has shot slightly more than 47 percent thus far (9-19), while the Mocs are shooting just 31 percent (7-22).
UPDATE #2: ASU leads 14-12. UTC missed 10 of its first 11 shots to start the game, but a pair of Dontay Hampton three-pointers drew the Mocs within one. A basket each from Ike Butts and Omar Carter helped the Mountaineers keep its margin.
UPDATE #1: ASU leads 7-4 after the first four minutes of action. Mike Neal has a three-pointer, with buckets from Ike Butts and Petey Hausley.
Drazen Zlovaric has all four points thus far for the Mocs.
We're LIVE at Appalachian State for another evening of Southern Conference men's basketball, as the Mountaineers host Northern Division foe Chattanooga.
The Mountaineers (10-15, 6-9 SoCon) is coming off a difficult 66-64 loss to Wofford, while Chattanooga (10-17, 4-10 SoCon) is looking to bounce back from a loss to UNC-Greensboro.
The Mountaineers fell by just two points in the first meeting against UTC, 65-63, at McKenzie Arena last month. It was the 10th-straight home win in the series between the two perennial SoCon North contenders.
Omar Wattad leads the Mocs with 13.4 points per game and 39.1 percent shooting from downtown. Ricky Taylor (13.2) and Drazen Zlovaric (10.6) also score in double figures for UTC, whose offense runs through Keegan Bell. Bell leads the SoCon with 6.4 assists per contest.
Last month’s 65-63 setback at Chattanooga marked the 10th straight win by the home team in the series. The Mocs hold a 42-29 advantage in the long-running series.
Below are the current standings in the Southern Conference:
We'll be here throughout the evening with game updates. Thanks for reading!
