WASHINGTON, D.C. - Appalachian State University men's basketball concludes its road trip with its toughest test of the season on Sunday, as the Mountaineers travel to the nation's capital to take on No. 9 Georgetown. The noon contest will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
Appalachian (3-3) snapped a three-game skid with last Saturday's 78-69 win at Samford to return to .500 on the season and even its Southern Conference record at 1-1.
Donald Sims scored an effortless 28 points in the contest and ranks second in the nation with 27.0 points per game. The senior was named the SoCon Player of the Month for November and averages 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game as well to lead the Apps.
He is backed up by Andre Williamson in the post, who had a career game against Samford with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting to accompany a team-best eight rebounds. Williamson is third on the team with 9.5 points per game and 5.7 rebounds. Jeremi Booth made his first start of the season at Samford and tallied a career-high 22 points in the contest.
Georgetown was a perfect 8-0 to open the season before Temple defeated the Hoyas, 68-65, on Thursday night in Philadelphia. Austin Freeman leads GU with 19.4 points per game, while Jason Clark and Chris Wright each top a 14-point scoring average as well.
Surprisingly, ASU is not the Hoyas' first Southern Conference opponent of the season. GU dispatched Wofford, 74-59, at the Charleston (S.C.) Classic nearly a month ago.
Sunday's game is the first-ever meeting between the two squads and the seventh time ASU has faced a current Big East Conference foe. Most recently, the Apps fell at Louisville last November, 80-59.
The John Thompson III Foundation will host a Book Drive at the game and fans are encouraged to bring children's books to the game as the JTIII Foundation holds its fourth annual holiday drive. The book drive will benefit Everybody Wins! DC (www.everybodywinsdc.org), a local non-profit organization devoted to promoting children's literacy and a love of learning through shared reading experiences. Collection bins will be located at all entrances to Verizon Center.
Fans who can't make it to the game or watch it on ESPNU can listen live on the Appalachian Sports Network through the Gameday Central link.
The Mountaineers return home to host Northeast Conference Champion Robert Morris on Saturday, Dec. 18. The game time will be announced this weekend, pending ASU's football schedule for the weekend.
