CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Appalachian State University basketball jumped out to a 15-point halftime lead and rebuffed a second-half Western Carolina surge to defeat the Catamounts 76-65. The Mountaineers (22-6, 13-3 SoCon) led by as many at 17 in their sixth-consecutive win over rival WCU and shot 54 percent from the field and 43 percent from three-point range. WCU (10-18, 7-10 SoCon) shot 40 percent in the loss with freshman Nick Aldridge leading all scorers with 29 points and 14 rebounds. The Apps had three players in double-figures with Nate Cranford's (Harrisburg, N.C.) 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range. Demetrius Scott (Orlando, Fla.) had 13 points, nine of them coming from the charity stripe while D.J. Thompson (Raleigh, N.C.) added 10 points. Western Carolina waited four minutes into the second half until it began to chip away at the Mountaineers lead with a 19-8 run that cut ASU's lead to five, 53-48, with 8:32 left in the second half. The Apps' Ryann Abraham (Mayaguez, Puerto Rico) responded with a three-pointer to key an 11-4 run that reasserted ASU's control of the game at 64-52 with 5:45 left to play. ASU's lead never dipped into single digits for the rest of the evening to give the team its fifth-consecutive win. The Mountaineers opened the game with a moderate lead until they held the Catamounts scoreless for more than four minutes and went on a 9-0 run to open up a 16-point, 33-17, lead with four minutes left in the opening stanza. The Mountaineers torched the twine with 68 percent shooting in the first half and 6-of-9 shooting from three-point range to crack open the big halftime lead. Nine of the 10 Mountaineers that saw action scored points with the bench contributing 25 points. Doug McLaughlin-Williams and Abraham led the team off the bench with nine and eight points, respectively. The win was ASU's 22nd of the season, one shy of the school record for win in a season. The Apps sustained success continued to be recognized Monday as the team earned eight votes in the most recent ESPN/Coaches Poll and moved up five spots in the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Poll, checking in at No. 6. ASU will play its final home game of the season and send off five seniors on Thursday versus UNC Greensboro at 7 p.m. In addition, the Mountaineers can earn sole possession of the Southern Conference North Division title with a victory over the Spartans in the Holmes Center.