BOONE, N.C. - Donald Sims' three-pointer at the buzzer was off target as Appalachian State University men's basketball suffered a 74-72 setback at the hands of The Citadel on Thursday evening at the Holmes Center

The win was The Citadel's sixth in a row but first over Appalachian since Jan. 20, 1996, snapping a string of 17-straight ASU victories in the series. The Citadel won in Boone for the first time since a 75-71 victory at Varsity Gym on Feb. 13, 1993.

The Mountaineers (9-12, 6-7 SoCon) opened a seven-point lead in the first half of the game behind eight points from Kellen Brand, but the Bulldogs closed out the half on a 10-2 run to take a 35-33 lead into the locker room.

The Citadel (14-10, 9-4) regained the advantage after the break and extended it to as many as seven early in the second half. However, the Apps cut the deficit to two points in the final minute and had the ball following a Marcus Wright steal with 14 seconds left to play. On their final possession, Kellen Brand was unable to break free for an open look and dished to Sims, who had a decent look at the would-be game-winning shot, but the attempt bounced off the rim as time expired to snap the Mountaineers' two-game winning streak.

After sinking 9-of-14 three-pointers in Monday's win at Georgia Southern, Appalachian struggled from deep in the first half, connecting on just 1-of-10 from beyond the arc. The Apps shot a proficient 60 percent on two-point attempts but knocked in just 2-of-17 from outside in the game.

The Apps made up for it at the free-throw line, where ASU hit all eight attempts in the opening 20 minutes and finished up 16-of-18 from the line. The 88.9 percent mark at the stripe was the highest of the season for Appalachian. The Citadel nearly matched the Apps with14-of-17 free throws.

Josh Hunter paced ASU with a career-high 18 points, while The Citadel's Demetrius Nelson led all scorers with 22. Isaac Butts again led the team on the glass with seven rebounds to complement his 13 points. He also had two of the team's seven blocks while freshman Andre Williamson swatted three.

Sims and Brand each wrapped up the game with 10 points while Donterious Hughes had nine. Wright dished out four of ASU's nine assists.

It was just the fifth time in 21 games this season that an opponent held an advantage in rebounds, as the Cadets hauled in 34 boards compared to 31 for ASU.

The Apps open a three-game road trip on Saturday at Elon. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. on SportSouth.