BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University men's basketball cut a 19-point halftime defecit to five with just four minutes remaining, but the Mountaineer rally fell short in the final minutes and the Mountaineer season came to a close Thursday night with a 64-56 loss to Pacific in the semifinals of the CollegeInsider.com tournament.

Fueled by 16-consecutive points from junior guard Donald Sims, the Mountaineers trimmed the Pacific lead to 58-53 with just over four minutes left in the game, but the ASU offense went cold in the game's final stages as Pacific closed with an 8-3 run over the last two and a half minutes.

Sims led the Mountaineer attack with 22 points on 6-of-14 shooting with five three-pointers, while senior guard Kellen Brand chipped in 12 points in his final game in the Black and Gold. Brand shot 3-for-8 from the field with four rebounds and an assist.

Forward Sam Willard led the Tigers with 22 points and 10 rebounds and guard Demetrece Young added 12 points and four assists. Joe Ford led the Tigers on the glass with 13 rebounds. For the evening, Pacific enjoyed a 49-34 edge on the boards, the largest defecit Appalachian had in the rebounding column all season.

The energetic Tigers (23-11) overcame a brutal cross-country road trip and sank five of their first six attempts to jump out to a 16-4 lead over the first six minutes.

From there, UP tempered a small Appalachian (24-13) run to keep a double-figure advantage throughout the half, extending to a 38-19 halftime lead.

ASU struggled from the field throughout the game and shot just 33.3 percent overall and 32.1 percent from downtown. On the other end of the court, Pacific shot a slightly better 38.7 percent from the field but made just 4-of-19 treys.

Jeremi Booth sank two three-pointers for six points and added four rebounds. Andre Williamson was the most proficient App on the boards for the Mountaineers with seven rebounds. Pacific held a 49-34 advantage on the glass, marking just the fifth time on the season ASU did not own the boards. The -15 margin was the worst of the season for the squad.

Senior Tyler Webb hauled in five rebounds and swiped two steals while classmate Ryann Abraham closed out his ASU career with four points of his own and an assist off the bench. Josh Hunter swatted two blocks and grabbed four rebounds while A.J. Highsmith added three points off the bench.

ASU's 24 wins on the season are the second most in school history, behind on the 2006-07 team's 25-8 mark. Pacific advances to the CIT final at Missouri State on Tuesday evening.