ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Despite a double-double from freshman Jaime Bennett, who recorded 11 points and 11 rebounds, Appalachian State University women's basketball team let a 22-point first-half lead slip away and fell to UNC Asheville 70-61 Thursday night at UNCA's Justice Center. With the loss, Appalachian fell to 1-6 on the season, while UNCA, which won just three games a season ago, kept up its incredible turnaround by moving to 5-3 on the campaign. The setback was ASU's ninth-straight away from Boone, dating back to a 76-65 victory at East Tennessee State on February 8, 2003. On the strength of 11 points and nine rebounds from Bennett and 16-of-30 shooting (53.3 percent) by the squad in the first half alone, the Mountaineers took a 41-25 lead into the locker room. ASU saw its lead expand to as much as 22 with 3:55 remaining in the first stanza before UNCA regained a bit of momentum by closing the half with a 7-1 run. UNCA took control in the second half, thanks to a barrage of hot shooting, especially beyond the arc. The Bulldogs shot an amazing 15-for-23 (65.2 percent) from the field in the second stanza, including 6-for-7 from three-point range. On the other hand, ASU went cold from the floor after halftime, going just 3-of-30 from the floor and 0-of-10 from beyond the arc. Despite the hot shooting, UNCA didn't take its first lead of the game until moving ahead 62-61 with just 3:37 left in the ballgame. The Bulldogs preserved the lead by outscoring the Mountaineers 8-0 the rest of the way, expanding UNCA's run to 12-0 over the final 4:40. Bennett's double-double is Appalachian's first since former Mountaineer Jaymi Wilson scored 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in a 81-72 overtime loss to Georgia Southern in the first round of the 2003 Southern Conference Tournament. ASU's last double-double in a regulation game was registered by Jessica Jank, who tallied 16 points and 10 boards versus UNC Greensboro on March 1, 2003, while the last time a Mountaineer recorded a double-double on the road was on Feb. 3, 2003, when Tiffani Johnson posted 24 points and 11 caroms at Furman. Appalachian will look to get back on track this weekend when it hosts SoCon-newcomer Elon Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. at the Holmes Center.