STARKVILLE, Miss. - Donald Sims' potential game-winning three-pointer in the game's last possession was blocked by Kodi Augustus as Mississippi State survived against Appalachian State University men's basketball, 76-74, on Friday night at Humphrey Coliseum.

Sims, who finished the game with 40 points on 11-of-31 shooting with seven three-pointers,  caught fire on the offensive end as he helped the Mountaineers (2-1) overcome a 13-point deficit to take a nine-point lead with just two minutes remaining in regulation.

The senior came within two points of the arena scoring record and added five assists, three steals and a pair of rebounds in the game. The guard played all 40 minutes of the contest and tallied his second-highest career scoring output, behind only his 44 points at Davidson last January.

After falling behind by 11 points at the intermission, Appalachian quickly rallied to score the first seven points of the second half and pull itself back into the game with a slim 43-39 deficit less than three minutes into the period.

Five minutes later, the Apps tied the contest at 53-53 on a Sims three-pointer. From there, ASU took its first lead of the night on the next possession as Nathan Healy stole the ball and passed it ahead for an easy Sims layup.

Healy entered the game less than two minutes after it began as Petey Hausley picked up a pair of quick fouls. Healy finished with a career-best 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and added nine rebounds and a pair of steals in 29 minutes.

Hausley scored four points and hauled in a pair of rebounds before fouling out with 7:13 to play. Healy then picked up his fifth foul with 3:48 remaining and the pair was joined on the bench by starting forward Andre Williamson, who fouled out with just under two minutes to play. The junior grabbed five boards to accompany three points.

Finding its groove, Appalachian fought off a three-point Bulldog lead and sparked a 14-3 run over the next six minutes to hold a 73-64 advantage at the two-minute mark.

MSU (2-0) then forced turnovers on each of the next two Mountaineer possessions and cut the lead down to 73-70 with 1:18 to play.

Sims converted 1-of-2 free throws on the next trip down the floor before Mississippi State's Brian Bryant was fouled beyond the arc and converted all three foul shots to pull the home team within 74-73 with 78 ticks remaining on the clock.

With 21 seconds remaining, Twany Beckham nabbed a steal and took it in for a layup to give the Bulldogs the lead for good. ASU's next shot rimmed out, forcing the Apps to foul with eight seconds remaining.

MSU's Ravern Johnson sank the second of two free throws before Sims brought the ball up for the game's final possession. Augustus fought through a hard screen to disrupt the final attempt and secure the win.

Augustus led the Bulldogs with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Johnson scored 19.

Despite losing all three backcourt players to foul trouble, ASU owned a 44-43 advantage on the glass. ASU shot 37.3 percent from the field and 29 percent from downtown, compared to 43.9 and 36.4 percent for MSU, respectively.

ASU turned the ball over a season-low 10 times and forced seven steals in the contest. Neither team fared well at the charity stripe at 62 percent each.

Appalachian continues its road trip on Tuesday night at Tennessee Tech.