APPALACHIAN STATE 78, MONTREAT 63

BOONE, N.C. -- A career-high 21 points from sophomore guard Eduardo Bermudez and the sixth career double-double from junior forward Jeremy Clayton lifted Appalachian State University men’s basketball past visiting Montreat in the Holmes Center on Monday evening.

Bermudez shattered his previous career high of 12 en route to helping the Mountaineers stave off a resilient Montreat squad, which fell behind early by as much as 15 points in the first half but refused to go away. The visitors climbed back to as close a two points, cutting the ASU lead to 53-51 in the second half, before ASU rallied to take control and eventually put the game away.

The Mountaineers shot 49 percent from the floor while holding the Cavaliers to a 38-percent effort and scored 10 more points in the paint. Thomaal Conyers led the Cavaliers with 16 points, while Noble Anthony notched a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Tim Lewis also tallied double digits on the glass with 11 rebounds.

Clayton was everywhere on the court for ASU, and he finished the game with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting, 13 rebounds, including five offensive and five blocks. His 13 rebounds was one shy of a career high. Clayton did most of his damage in the first half with 10 points, including six of the Mountaineers first 12 points as they jumped out to an early 12-3 lead in the first three minutes. Three of his blocks came in that same span as well.

ASU continued to add to its lead, going on an 11-3 run to take a 23-8 lead with 12 minutes to play in the half on a Bermudez three-point play. The Cavaliers chipped away at the lead to cut it to nine at 40-31 going into halftime.

Montreat continued to play tough after intermission, going on an 8-2 run to pull within two with just under 12 minutes left in the contest. However, junior Davis Bowne came off the bench to spark the Apps with back-to-back layups, followed by a Nate Cranford three pointer to extend ASU’s lead to nine, 60-51, with nine minutes to play.

With just over five minutes left, Montreat pulled within seven, 60-53, but Bermudez dashed all hopes of a comeback with seven straight points from his hot hand on five free throws and a jumper, to push ASU’s lead back into double digits. The Mountaineers then used an 8-2 run in the final two minutes to seal the 78-63 victory.

The Mountaineers next travel to Winston-Salem to face their second ACC foe of the season, Wake Forest. Appalachian and the Demon Deacons tip off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 25 at Joel Coliseum.

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 64, MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE 56

Senior Dontaye Draper’s 31 points and sophomore Jermaine Johnson’s 12 points off the bench paced the College of Charleston men’s basketball team to a victory over Middle Tennessee State (MTSU), 64-56, in the seventh place game of the 2006 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam on Monday.

The victory improves CofC’s record to 2-2, while the loss drops MTSU to a record of 1-4.

Draper’s three point field goal 3:42 into the first half gave Charleston the lead, 19-17, that it would keep through the entire game. Draper also converted on a free throw attempt with 2:18 left in the game to give CofC its largest lead in the game, 59-49.

Johnson’s 12 points marked the second time this season he has scored in double figures coming off the bench. He scored 10 points as a substitute in CofC's season opener victory at Georgia State, 72-66.

Senior David Lawrence contributed to the victory with 14 points and a career-high six rebounds. Draper also had a career-high six rebounds in the game.

MTSU, who won the lone matchup between the two schools on Mar. 29, 1992, by the score of 70-68, got a team-high 16 points from Kyle Young.

Overall, the Cougars made seven three pointers in the game and outrebounded MTSU, 31-27.

CofC will have its home opener on Sunday, Nov. 26, when the Cougars face UNC Wilmington at 2 p.m. The game also marks the home coaching debut of first year CofC head coach, Bobby Cremins.

WESTERN CAROLINA 105, ATLANTA CHRISTIAN 40

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina tied a school and facility record Monday night in the Ramsey Activity Center by making 15 3-pointers en route to a 105-40 victory over Atlanta Christian. The Catamounts, under the direction of second-year head coach Larry Hunter, also made 15 3-pointers in a home contest last season, defeating Chattanooga 74-56 on Jan. 14, 2006.

Also, Western (2-1) had 31 assists, with just 14 turnovers, on its 40 made baskets on the evening, thanks to a career-high six assists from junior forward Negus McKenna. Eric Wilson added five with Kyle Greathouse, Antonio Russell and Brigham Waginger each handing out four. On the other side, Atlanta Christian (2-6) only had six assists and was forced into 27 turnovers, while shooting just 28 percent (14-of-50) from the field. Part of the Chargers' 27 turnover came from WCU's 15 steals, thanks to a career-high six from Greathouse.

The Catamounts approached another Ramsey Center record, shooting 62.5 percent from the field with the WCU record being 64.4 set in 1996.

Although he did not contribute to the school-record from beyond the arc, freshman Nick Aldridge led the Catamounts with his first career double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in just 26 minutes of play. The South Webster, Ohio, native made 8-of-9 shots from the field and all four of his free throw attempts. Aldridge was one of five from Western who scored in double figures with Brandon Giles scoring 19, McKenna 16, Greathouse 14 and Jake Robinson 13.

Joe Rawlings was the only Charger in double figures. However, the freshman from Haddock, Ga., accounted for nearly half of his team's points, pumping in 18. He made six field goals, all from 3-point range, and added three steals.

The 65-point victory was the Catamounts' largest since handing Averett a 120-46 setback on Dec. 17, 2003.

McKenna keyed Western's record-setting performance by making 4-of-7 from long range. Giles and Robinson each went 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, while Greathouse and Waginger each made 3-of-5 3-point attempts. Josh Dees, who scored his first collegiate points, was 1-of-1, hitting a trey in the left corner as the first half drew to a close. Tonight also marked the first time in three game that Waginger had scored, finishing with eight points and three steals.

Western Carolina will have a week off before returning to host Toccoa Falls on Monday (Nov. 27). Tipoff in the Ramsey Center is set for 7 pm.