APPALACHIAN STATE 71, CAMPBELL 64
BUIES CREEK, N.C. ? Appalachian State University men's basketball saw a 17-point halftime lead whittled down into a competitive game in the second half, but succeeded in holding Campbell University at bay for a 71-64 win at Carter Gymnasium Wednesday afternoon. ASU was paced by Ryann Abraham's 14 points while by and Doug McLaughlin-Williams nearly posted double-doubles with 10 points each and eight and nine rebounds, respectively.
Jonathan Rodriguez led Campbell (1-3) with 21 points, 15 of them in the second half as the Camels outscored ASU 42-32 in the second stanza. Campbell also had 12 boards in the loss. ASU (3-2) continued its hot shooting, converting at a 50-percent clip, while the defense stymied the Camels', limiting them to success on just 33 percent of their shots. However, the Apps committed 21 turnovers, 15 in the second half, with CU scoring 22 points as a result, making the tally as close as it was.
The teams traded baskets over the first 10 minutes of the opening half until ASU cracked open a 10-point, 25-15 lead with just under six minutes left courtesy of a 12-1 run that was keyed by back-to-back three pointers from Bermudez and Brand. The Camels would score seven of next nine points to cut into the margin, but the Mountaineers responded by keeping CU off the board for the final 4:09 of the half. During that span, ASU ran off 12 unanswered points that featured two three-pointers from Kellen Brand and back-to-back steals from Abraham to take a 17-point, 39-22, lead into the locker room.
Campbell opened the second half with a 10-2 run to pare down the lead, however ASU would keep its lead in double digits until back-to-back turnovers allowed CU to pull within nine at 51-42 with 8:22 left. Abraham, who committed one of the miscues, redeemed himself and quieted the energized crowd with a three-pointer on ASU's next possession.
The Apps got the lead back out to 14 in the next few minutes, but the pesky Camels stayed within striking distance and pulled within seven, 62-55, on a pair of Rodriguez free throws with 1:43 left. After an ASU possession, McLaughlin-Williams grabbed a critical defensive rebound to keep it a three-possession game with under a minute left. ASU made eight of its final 12 free throws after Campbell started fouling to stop the clock. CU got a three pointer from Kyle Vejraska as time expired for the final 71-64 tally.
The Mountaineers will return to action on Monday evening for the home and Southern Conference opener against No. 25 Davidson. The game will be televised on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) and is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff at the Holmes Center.
WESTERN MICHIGAN 83, DAVIDSON 76
KALAMAZOO, MICH. - Despite a combined 48 points from Davidson's backcourt of Jason Richards and Stephen Curry, Western Michigan shot 59 percent overall and made 12-of-22 from downtown to knock off the No. 25 Wildcats (USA Today/ESPN) 83-76 Wednesday evening at University Arena.
Derek Drews led the five Broncos in double figures with 18 points, hitting five of his eight attempts from downtown. Shawntes Gary (17), David Kool (13), Michael Redell (11) and Joe Reitz also went finished in double digits for Western Michigan (4-2) in its home opener.
Curry and Richards combined to score 23 consecutive points over a 12:24 stretch in the second half as Davidson (1-2) cut a nine-point margin to one, but the Wildcats could not get over the hump. Curry finished the game with 25 points, and Richards scored 23.
With the Wildcats trailing 67-58, Richards and Curry combined to score 12 consecutive points as Davidson cut the margin to 71-70 on a Curry trey with 2:33 remaining. Kool answered with a 3-pointer, and Curry's deep 3-pointer fell short on Davidson's trip down court.
Curry was then whistled for his fifth foul, sending Redell to the charity stripe, where he hit two to make the score 76-70 with 1:22 left. Thomas Sander answered with a 3-point play, but Kool nailed a pair from the charity stripe to push the margin to 78-73. After Boris Meno's 3-point try was long, the Broncos got the rebound and Davidson was forced to foul. Western went 5-for-6 from the foul line the rest of the way to seal the win.
With the score tied 45-45, a nice defensive play by Gary sparked a 9-2 run for the Broncos. Gary blocked what looked like a fast-break layup for Max Paulhus Gosselin, and Drews nailed a trey from the wing in transition as the Broncos took a 54-47 lead with 11:26 remaining. A tip-in by Andrew Hershberger extended the lead to 63-53, the Broncos largest of the game, with 7:03 to play.
The stars saw a lot of the bench in the first half as Curry, the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year, and Reitz, the MAC's reigning Player of the Year, each had to sit with two fouls midway through the frame.
Curry's second personal came after he jumped and intercepted an inbounds pass and was called for a charge when he came down on a Bronco defender 7:44 into the game. Reitz got his battling for an offensive rebound with 9:45 to play.
Curry played sporadically for the remainder of the half, while Reitz remained on the bench. Ahead 32-30, Western Michigan scored five straight points to open a 37-30 lead with 1:03 to go.
A 3-pointer by Drews from the top of the key with 16 seconds left gave the Broncos a 40-32 edge, matching their largest of the game, but Richards answered with a layup with four seconds left, making the score 40-34 at the break. Western hit seven 3-pointers in 14 attempts, and the Broncos shot 16-for-26 from the floor.
An 8-2 Davidson run, sparked by 3-pointers from Richards and Curry, to open the second stanza wiped out a six-point Western Michigan lead and tied the game 42-42.
The Wildcats are back in action at John M. Belk Arena Saturday, Nov. 24, when they host North Carolina Central at 2 p.m.