VIRGINIA TECH 69, APPALACHIAN STATE 37

BLACKSBURG, VA. --- Virginia Tech’s defense frustrated Appalachian men’s basketball all afternoon en route to a 69-37 win over the Mountaineers Sunday afternoon.

The loss was ASU’s third to an ACC program this season, dropping its record to 5-3. The Hokies improved to 6-3 behind Zabian Dowdell’s 19-point performance. Appalachian was led by Jeremy Clayton (Greensboro, N.C.) and Kellen Brand (High Point, N.C.) with seven points each.

Appalachian opened the game with an early 4-2 lead on a Clayton layup with 17:15 on the clock. However, a scrappy Virginia Tech defense wouldn’t let the Mountaineers back on the board for the next 15 minutes until Clayton scored ASU’s sixth point with 2:24 left in the half. At that point, the Hokies had scored 20 unanswered points to lead 22-6. Tech carried a 26-9 lead into halftime and limited ASU to just 13-percent shooting in the half.

The Mountaineers tried to stage a run to open up the second half and got back within 17 points twice in the period, but couldn’t hold cut into the lead against a team that shot 58 percent in the second half.

The Mountaineers finished the game shooting 20 percent and their 37-point output was the lowest since scoring 37 against Oregon State in the 2000-01 season. Sixteen of the Apps rebounds came off the offensive glass. Clayton and Demetrius Scott (Orlando, Fla.) led ASU with seven rebounds each.

Appalachian will attempt to rebound on Thursday when it hosts Brevard at the Holmes Center. The game will mark Donte Minter’s (Salisbury, N.C.) debut in an Appalachian uniform after sitting out the past two semesters following his transfer from the University of Virginia.