BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University men's basketball recovered from a sluggish start to shoot a blistering 57 percent from the floor and top Harvard, 93-71, in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament on Monday at the Holmes Center.
Harvard (21-8) scored the game's first eight points in just over a minute before the Mountaineers (23-12) found a spark off the bench. ASU's starting five remained in the game together for just over two minutes, before five fresh reserves entered the game at the 17:40 mark and almost immediately pulled the squad back within three points.
Harvard adjusted and extended its lead to as many as 12 points in the opening frame, before the Mountaineers battled back and took their first lead late in the half, 39-37. A 13-0 run from the Apps gave the home team a 43-37 lead at the intermission.
From there, Appalachian extended the lead to double figures and kept the advantage there for the game's final 13 minutes. The Crimson never pulled any closer than six points in the second half as the squad cooled off to shoot 39.1 percent in the second half.
Christian Webster led Harvard with 24 points on 7-of-8 shooting off the bench, including 6-for-6 on three point attempts. Harvard sank 44 percent of its treys in the game, but paled in comparison to ASU's 57.1 percent mark from beyond the arc.
Donald Sims knocked down a first-half three-pointer to tie the school's single season scoring mark and went on to break it with a team-high 22 points in the game. The Gaffney, S.C. native now has 702 points for the 2009-10 season. The nation's leader in three-pointers made 6-of-11 from downtown in the game in addition to a pair of rebounds and an assist.
Kellen Brand scored eight points before the intermission and added the first six Mountaineer points of the second half for a total of 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He added four assists and three boards.
Senior Josh Hunter added 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and five rebounds for the Mountaineers, and sophomore Marcus Wright added 10 points, three rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes off the bench. Andre Williamson also came off the bench to chip in 11 points and six boards on 5-of-6 shooting. The sophomore added both of the team's blocked shots.
Isaac Butts led the Apps with seven rebounds as ASU held a 39-25 advantage on the glass. The Mountaineers also forced 13 turnovers while committing just nine. Ryann Abraham dished out five of the team's 20 assists, which were the most by ASU since December. Abraham did not score in the contest but hauled in five boards and swiped a steal.
Appalachian tallied 30 bench points in the contest, as Tyler Webb was 2-for-3 from the field to match a season high with five points, while Josh Nirenberg closed out the game with four points in just two minutes.
The win was ASU's 14th at home this season, setting a new Holmes Center wins record. The squad's 23 wins on the season are tied for the second-most in program history, behind only the 2006-07 team's 25 victories.
The Mountaineers look for their second NCAA Division I postseason win on Monday, but will not find out who or where they will play until Thursday night's completion of the CIT first round. Along with Appalachian, Creighton, Fairfield, Marshall and Missouri State have already punched their tickets into the quarterfinal round.
