CULLOWHEE, N.C.- Appalachian State University women's basketball overcame a slow start, to complete the season sweep of its Southern Conference foe Western Carolina Monday afternoon, handing WCU a 62-36 loss on its home floor. The victory is ASU's seventh straight and improves Appalachian to a 17-4 overall record and 11-2 SoCon mark, while the Catamounts drop to 6-15 on the season and 4-8 in league play.

ASU erased a sloppy and lethargic first half outing from its memory and began the second period on a 15-0 run to take a commanding 37-18 lead.

The stingy Mountaineer defense limited Western Carolina without a field goal for the opening six and half minutes of second half action and held the Catamounts to just nine points in the first 12 minutes of the second period.

It was Sam Ramirez  that gave Appalachian the much-needed offensive boost, scoring nine points during the run, including, draining two-three pointers and nailing three free throws.

Ramirez could not be stopped offensively in the second half as she finished yet again as the Mountaineers leading scorer, recording a game-high 19 points, with 16 coming in the second-half. The lone senior now has 1385 career-points and passes Beth Laney Queen to move into fifth on ASU's all-time scoring list.

That was all the Mountaineers needed, as the rout was on and there was no looking back for the Apps, with the second-half surge proving to be the difference maker in the contest.

Appalachian outscored its counterpart 35-18 in the second period to cruise to the 26 point win.

Although the second-half was dominated by the Black and Gold, the Mountaineers struggled to find their footing early on, as they went almost three minutes without a bucket to start the game, finding itself in a 4-0 hole early on.

Thanks in part to a spark by Anna Freeman , ASU woke up and took a seven-point advantage midway through the first half.

Freeman was consistent in both halves for the Apps, as she recorded just her second double-double of the season, grabbing a game-best 12 rebounds and adding in 14 points.

Despite turnovers plaguing Appalachian, as the squad coughed up the basketball 10 times in the opening period, and not being able to get anything going on the offensive front, as the team went almost 10 minutes without a field goal, ASU was able to hold on to its lead.

Anna Freeman continued to provide a boost, and Ramirez drilled a trey for her first points of the contest with seconds left on the clock until the half, as the Mountaineers grabbed a 27-18 leading heading into intermission.

Taking some of its newly found momentum from the closing minutes of the first half, Appalachian posted an un-answerable run at the start of the second, and that spark propelled the Mountaineers to the lopsided victory.

With a busy week ahead, ASU has little time to rest, as the Apps return to the High Country to host Davidson. The game between the two teams is set for Wednesday, February 2 and is slated to tip off at 7 p.m. from the Holmes Center.