BOONE, N.C. - Donald Sims scored 23 points and Kellen Brand added 19 as Appalachian State University men's basketball defeated Milligan, 113-91, on Thursday evening.

The Mountaineers raced out to a 23-4 lead in the game's first four minutes before the squad put on cruise control and allowed Milligan to pull back within 10 points at 43-33 with five minutes to play in the half.

From there, Isaac Butts scored four of ASU's next 12 points as the home team held a 56-41 advantage at the break.

Seven Apps combined to shoot 8-for-15 from downtown in the half, and the squad shot 57.9 percent from the field, compared to 40.6 for the Buffaloes.

The game was never in doubt in the second half, as the Apps pushed the advantage to as many as 25 points after the intermission.

For the game, Appalachian managed a 56.9 field goal percentage, which was the second-highest of the season behind the team's last game at Wofford, where the Apps posted a 64.3 mark.

Appalachian finished the game with a season-high 16 three-pointers, which was just one shy of matching the program record.

All five starters reached double-figure points for ASU as Butts added 17, Jeremi Booth scored 14 and Andre Williamson notched his first-career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.

Behind Williamson's 13 boards, Butts grabbed seven and Nathan Healy pulled down five rebounds in just seven minutes as the Apps held a 43-36 advantage on the glass.

Marcus Wright led the ASU bench, which scored 30 points on the night, with seven points and a pair of assists. A.J. Highsmith added a pair of treys for six points to go along with three boards and Tyler Webb added five points and two rebounds.

For the night, ASU connected on 15-of-20 foul shots, and its 25 assists were the most on the season, topping the squad's 22 against Morgan State last month. Booth led the team and matched a career best with five assists while Butts and Brand each added four.

Justin Sylvester led Milligan with 25 points on 9-for-17 shooting while his eight rebounds also led the Buffaloes. MC shot 41.7 percent from the floor and 36.1 from downtown.

The Mountaineers' 113 points broke a Holmes Center record of 112 points, which was last set in a win over Milligan on December 30, 2008.

The Mountaineers head north to take on Robert Morris on Saturday, December 19, at 7 p.m.