BOONE, N.C. - The Mountaineers cut a 13-point deficit to just one several times in the second half, but were unable to regain a lead as Appalachian State University men's basketball fell, 62-58, against The Citadel on Wednesday.

It was a game of back-and-forth runs, as the Bulldogs used a 12-0 spurt to gain a 20-10 advantage early in the contest. Donald Sims then scored ASU's next nine points as the Apps fought to within three. From that point, a 10-2 outburst helped The Citadel (8-7, 2-1 SoCon) to a 34-25 halftime lead.

Sims would go on to lead Appalachian (7-7, 1-2) in scoring for the fifth time in six games with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including three long balls. The junior added a pair of assists, a steal and a rebound. He was the only Mountaineer in double-figure points for the game.

The junior followed a pair of Marcus Wright jumpers with five points of his own to cap a 9-0 run that pulled ASU back within four points with 10 minutes to play in regulation.

Appalachian then closed the gap to a single point on three occasions down the stretch but each time was followed by a made basket on the other end.

With just over a minute remaining, a pair of Kellen Brand free throws cut the score to 57-55 and the defense frustrated The Citadel for 30 seconds before Cameron Wells found an open Austin Dahn in the corner for a three.

Andre Williamson sank a free throw and a layup in the final half-minute, but two more free throws by The Citadel sealed the win.

Williamson scored seven points on 3-of-4 shooting off the bench and added four rebounds, while Isaac Butts led the team with 10 boards to go along with four points, two assists, a block and a steal.

Wells led the Cadets with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting while Dahn added 14 points on four treys. The Citadel drained nine shots from downtown in the game, including 7-of-11 before the intermission, compared to a 6-of-20 night from downtown for the Apps.

ASU hauled in 15 offensive rebounds for 21 second-chance points and finished with 38 boards in the game, compared to just 26 for the Bulldogs.

The game marked the first meeting between Buzz Peterson and Ed Conroy as head coaches. The Citadel's Conroy served on Peterson's staff at three schools from 2000-06.

The Mountaineers head to Davidson on Saturday for a 2 p.m. showdown, to be televised on SportSouth.