BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University men's basketball shook off some early rust in the first half before finding a rhythm and pounding Lees-McRae, 103-69, in an exhibition on Thursday night at the Holmes Center.
Donald Sims led all scorers with 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-8 from three-point range. The senior added eight assists to lead the squad and swiped four steals in 31 minutes on the floor.
Omar Carter added 17 points in his first appearance in the Black and Gold, Andre Williamson scored 12 and Jeremi Booth added 10 to round out four Mountaineers in double-figures. Carter was active all over the court and nearly tallied a double-double with nine rebounds. He added a pair of assists and three steals. The junior was 6-of-9 from the free-throw line.
Williamson battled foul trouble as he picked up three fouls in 16 minutes in the first half. He added a fourth early after the intermission but finished the game with five rebounds, a pair of blocks and a steal to accompany his 6-of-10 mark from the field. Booth found his range from the corners in the second half of the game to sink 2-of-4 treys. In 16 minutes of action, the senior hauled in a pair of rebounds.
Appalachian converted 19 assists while turning the ball over 14 times. By comparison, the Bobcats had a 9-to-25 assist-to-turnover ratio. Lees-McRae was led by 14 points each from Tevin Friday and Adam McFerran. LMC shot 43.9 percent in the game and a solid 41.7 percent from beyond the arc.
The Apps converted 50.7 percent of their shots, including an 11-of-25 mark from downtown. ASU was also proficient from the charity stripe, converting 24-of-24 free throw attempts for 70.6 percent.
After a sluggish start to the game, the Mountaineers made halftime adjusments and bumped their lead up to 21 points less than five minutes into the second half. ASU worked the advantage to as many as 38 points at 94-56 late in the period.
Newcomer Petey Hausley cracked the starting five at the power forward position and scored five points in 16 minutes. Freshman Anthony Thomas provided a spark off the bench with eight points, five rebounds and an assist in 18 minutes as a wing player. Classmate Griffin Shaw scored three points and dished out a pair of assists and redshirt freshman Ryan Kilmartin also made his ASU debut with a rebound in four minutes on the floor.
The Mountaineers have one more week of practice prior to the regular season, which tips off on Friday, November 12 at Tulsa.