That'll wrap it up from Holmes Center. ASU's next home game is Monday, Dec. 30, against Bluefield College. Thanks for reading!
Update #8: Dustin Clarke entered the game for the Mountaineers at around the 6:30 mark, and scored on a layup inside. ASU has pulled away and has the game well in hand, leading 94-58 with 3:58 remaining.
Update #7: Appalachian has extended its advantage to 80-55 with 7:53 left in the contest. Michael Obacha of ASU has only four points, but pulled down 16 rebounds. Milligan has only 26 rebounds as a team.
Update #6: ASU holds a 67-53 lead with 11:39 to play. Kurt Brooks and Tori Sitton leads Milligan with nine points. Gilbert and Hamilton each have 18 points for the Mountaineers, with 10 from Burgess. The size of ASU has been a major factor, outrebounding Milligan 39-23 for the game.
Update #5: ASU leads Milligan 62-46, with 15:18 to play in the game, but has managed only two points in the past three minutes of game time. The Mountaineers once held a 60-39 lead, but a Buffaloes' 7-2 run has again cut into the Mountaineers' lead.
Update #4: ASU extended its lead in the closing minutes, as six-foot, eight-inch Rantavious Gilbert has been strong on the offensive glass and scored 14 points in the half. Appalachian leads Milligan 50-39 at halftime.
Hamilton has 11 points to put to Mountaineers in double-figures scoring. Two other players, Chris Burgess (8 points) and Mike Neal (9 points) will likely join the fraternity early in the second half.
Cartree Pettis leads Milligan with 8 points
Update #3: Milligan is shooting 55 percent from the field for the game, compared to 45.5 percent for the Mountaineers. Milligan has cut the App lead to 40-34 with 3:20 remaining in the half.
Update #2: The Buffaloes begin an offensive stampede to cut ASU's lead to 36-29, forcing an Appalachian timeout with 5:15 left in the half. A pair of Mickey Woods baskets have sparked the Milligan run.
Update #1: ASU leads Milligan 29-19. Milligan has committed seven turnovers in the first 9.5 minutes of the contest. Mike Neal has nine points for the Mountaineers, with eight points from Tab Hamilton.
We're in Boone on a rainy December Saturday for non-conference basketball action between ASU and Milligan. ASU is looking to break a three-game losing skid and sit at 2-8 for the season. Milligan stands at 8-4 overall. With students off for holiday break, the crowd is a little sparse, but still hearty.
At the first media timeout, ASU leads Milligan College 13-6 behind six points from Chris Burgess and a pair of baskets from Mike Neal. Cartree Pettis has two buckets for Milligan,while Hendersonville HS product Torian Sitton has a basket to account for the Buffaloes' scoring.
Updates as they transpire, and thanks for reading...
