College of Charleston 72, Appalachian State 59
CHARLESTON, S.C. - College of Charleston won its third consecutive Southern Conference game by defeating North Division foe Appalachian State, 72-59, on Wednesday night at TD Arena.
The Cougars (14-7, 7-3 SoCon) used an energetic second half to overcome a two-point halftime deficit and avenge last year's loss to the Mountaineers (8-12, 4-5 SoCon) in the 2012 Southern Conference Tournament.
CofC shot 52 percent in the second half and finished shooting 25-of-55 from the field, while holding ASU to just 37.5 percent overall (24-of-64). The Cougars also held the edge in rebounding (39-37), assists (16-9) and fast-break points (16-4).
Former Mountaineer Anthony Thomas, a JUCO transfer from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College by way of ASU, came up big for CofC, scoring a career-high 14 points as he shot 6-of-10 from the field against his former team. Thomas also grabbed seven rebounds and made three blocks as part of the Cougars' season-best nine blocks.
Senior point guard Andrew Lawrence scored a team-high 16 points and dished out four assists, while sophomore Anthony Stitt and junior big man Trent Wiedeman each pitched in 10 points. Stitt's seven rebounds set a new season high and he also distributed six assists for the near triple-double stat line.
Appalachian State was led by Tevin Baskin's 16 points, although Baskin picked up his fourth foul midway through the second half. Jay Canty scored 11 points, while Tab Hamilton added nine.
The teams played even through the first 10 minutes of the first half until ASU went on a 12-2 run to build a 25-17 lead after a layup and foul shot from Chris Burgess. The Cougars responded with a big run of their own, retaking the lead at the 1:58 minute mark on a layup from redshirt junior Willis Hall, after outscoring the Mountaineers 12-2.
ASU's Canty broke the tied score with a jumper in the final minute and a last-second trey from Stitt was off the mark, giving Appalachian State a 35-33 lead at the half.
Both teams traded three-pointers to open the second frame until the Cougars started getting out in transition and opening a lead. Freshman reserve Theo Johnson hit a three-pointer from the left wing, rebounded an ASU miss and then Lawrence hit Wiedeman in transition for the fast-break layup to put CofC up 49-42.
CofC's run continued with aggressive play that resulted in free throws from Lawrence and sophomore forward Adjehi Baru. With 10:15 remaining, the Cougars had built a 55-48 lead and proceeded to hold the Mountaineers scoreless for the next six minutes. By the time that ASU scored again at the 4:04 minute mark, the Cougars had built a 17-point lead.
Appalachian State cut the lead to 10 on a layup from Michael Obacha, but never crept closer as the College of Charleston ran down the clock on a 72-59 victory.