BOONE, N.C.- Appalachian State University men's basketball stormed back from a 14-point deficit with three minutes left to take the lead in the waning seconds, but College of Charleston's Tony White, Jr. hit a three-pointer with 1.6 seconds remaining to hand Appalachian a heart-breaking 91-87 defeat on Monday evening at the Holmes Center.
Appalachian (10-15, 7-10 SoCon) trailed 83-69 with 3:05 to go in the ballgame but went on an 18-3 run over the next 2:50, capped by a pair of free throws by freshman Marcus Wright that gave ASU its first lead in over 37 minutes at 87-86.
However, on the ensuing possession, Charleston (19-7, 11-5 SoCon) regained the lead when White, Jr. drilled a three from the corner off an assist from Andrew Goudelock.
Trailing by two with under two seconds to play, the Mountaineers attempted to throw a pass the length of the floor following the CofC trey, but the ball sailed out of bounds. Matt Sundberg sank a pair of free throws with .4 seconds remaining to seal the Cougars' triumph.
During the Appalachian run, the team made 5-of-6 shots including three from downtown, and all five free-throw attempts. Over the same stretch, the Cougars turned the ball over twice, made 1-of-4 field goal attempts and 1-of-2 free throws.
Kellen Brand led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from three-point range. Seven-of-eight Cougars scored in double-figures, led by Goudelock's 17 points.
A.J. Highsmith sank two of the team's late treys and finished the game with 11 points, matching a career high. The junior added a pair of rebounds and two assists over 17 minutes. Sophomore Donald Sims led the team with four assists and added 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting.
After shooting just 35.1 percent in the first half, Appalachian got into a groove to make 17-of-28 attempts in the second half to round out to 46.2 percent for the game. Isaac Butts grabbed five first-half rebounds and led the Apps with seven in the game as the team held a 40-36 advantage on the boards.
Appalachian will look to snap a three-game skid when it travels to UNC Greensboro on Thursday evening. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at UNCG's Fleming Gym.
