Appalachian State broke the ice in Southern Conference play last night with a torrid first-half hot streak that led to a 68-53 victory over Western Carolina. The Mountaineers shot 56 percent in the first half - good enough to offset 31 percent in the second - on the way to their first conference victory in three tries. D.J. Thompson led the Mountaineers (6-9 overall, 1-2 SoCon) with 18 points, including 12 in the first half. Jeremy Clayton totaled 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Doug McLaughlin-Williams added 12 points and 11 rebounds. Coach Houston Fancher of the Mountaineers said that he was pleased with his team's focus and preparation after an 0-2 start to league play. "We had to prepare well because they run an intricate offense," Fancher said. "We defended well and rebounded well. We're excited to get double-doubles from our two post players, because that's obviously so beneficial to us." The Catamounts (7-10, 1-1) struggled on a more consistent basis, shooting just 30 percent for the game. David Berghoefer led the Catamounts with 11 points and 14 rebounds. The Mountaineers led by as many as 20 points in the first half but were outscored 22-10 during one stretch in the second half. "(Western) extended their zone and got us out of synch for a while," Clayton said. "Fortunately, we were able to adjust." McLaughlin-Williams said: "We talked before the game about staying focused from start to finish. For the most part, we did that. They came back in the second half, and that's to their credit they didn't quit, but we were able to fight through it." Thompson said: "We played with some confidence. This looked more like our team tonight." Corey Muirhead's dunk on a feed from Kyle Greathouse pulled the Catamounts to 51-45 with nine minutes left. Two chances to close the gap to three points failed: when Greathouse missed a 3-point attempt and Muirhead missed a short jumper after Jared Outing's tip-in with 6:40 left had trimmed the lead to 52-47. The Catamounts got no closer, and offensive plays by Clayton and Thompson were key to the Mountaineers' recovery. Clayton's reach and tip kept a rebound alive, which resulted in a follow shot with 5:04 left that boosted the lead to 54-47. And, after Greathouse missed a 3, Thompson, the Mountaineers' leading scorer who struggled offensively much of the night, nailed one from three feet beyond the arc that extended the lead to 57-47. The Catamounts never got closer than eight from that point. As hot as the Mountaineers were in the half (15 of 27 field-goal shooting, 56 percent), the Catamounts were as cold (8 of 32, 25 percent). And the Mountaineers dominated inside, as evident by a 24-15 rebounding advantage in the half. Larry Hunter, WCU's coach, said that the Mountaineers' energy level and execution were the difference in the early stages, along with a rebounding margin that wound up 47-36 in ASU's favor. "Appalachian dictated the tempo in the first half," Hunter said. "We weren't able to hit many of the looks we got. "I felt their two big guys did a nice job on the boards, especially Clayton. They got some big rebounds, changed defenses well and kept us off balance. Nothing came easy for us, and it was one of those nights where we just couldn't get the ball to go in the basket." The Catamounts struggled from the start against full-court pressure, with the 6-7 Clayton part of an initial double-team that seemed to throw the Catamounts out of synch. Four early turnovers combined with 3-of-12 shooting by the Catamounts contrasted sharply with a hot start by the Mountaineers, who nailed 7 of their first 12 shots and led 18-7. ?€˘ Tommy Bowman can be reached at tbowman@wsjournal.com