CHATTANOOGA, TENN.- Appalachian State University women's basketball outscored Elon by 22 points in the second half en route to a dominating 72-48 win Sunday afternoon in the semifinals of the 2011 Southern Conference Tournament. The victory is Appalachian's first semifinal win since 1999 and improves the Mountaineers to a program record 25 wins (25-5).
After heading into halftime clinging to a two-point lead, up just 29-27, it was a 15-0 run by the Apps, starting at the 15:28 mark of the second period that put ASU in control, jumping on top 54-35.
Anna Freeman started the run for the Black and Gold as she connected on a trey, and senior Sam Ramirez followed suit drilling a three-pointer of her own to help swing momentum in Appalachian's favor.
Not quiet either on the offensive front, Courtney Freeman, Kelsey Sharkey and Ashlen Dewart all contributed during the scoring outburst as well.
Dewart finished as the game's leading scoring, totaling 19 points, with 16 of them coming in the second-half. The sophomore standout also became just the 20th player in ASU history and third youngest to eclipse the 1,000 point scoring mark for her career.
Continuing her standout tournament performances, Sharkey was also unstoppable in the contest, as she hauled in a career-high 16 rebounds, tied a career-high with 12 points and set a new career-best in assists totaling seven.
The 19-point cushion was all the Black and Gold needed, as Elon would never come closer than 15, and ASU cruised to the decisive 24-point victory and its first SoCon Tournament final berth since 1999.
Despite the impressive second period, Appalachian struggled to find its footing and rhythm in the opening 20 minutes of play, as it was the Phoenix that took the early lead, up 6-0.
Thanks in part to Anna Freeman, who scored the Apps' first five points of the contest, ASU was finally able to get something going and the Mountaineers closed the scoring gap.
Back-to-back Sharkey buckets knotted action at 16 and first period play was hotly contested as a battle ensued between the two squads.
Play was tied on two more occasions, at both the 25 point and 27 point marks, before two made Courtney Freeman free throws right before the half earned ASU the two-point lead at the break.
Both Anna Freeman and Courtney Freeman were forces to be reckoned with as well in the game, as Anna Freeman tallied her fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds and Courtney Freeman had 17 points and seven boards.
Although Elon held the rebounding advantage much of the game, ASU was more active on the glass in the second half and closed out the contest out-rebounding the Phoenix 47-44.
Appalachian's staggering defense also held the Phoenix to a dismal 29.2 field goal percentage, including holding Elon to a 14.3 percentage from behind the arc.
An early 10-2 streak right out of intermission gave Appalachian the advantage it needed, as the squad went on to outscore Elon 43-21 in the second period and grab the exciting win.
Seeking its first SoCon Tournament crown since 1999, the Black and Gold now await the winner between No.2 Samford and No. 3 Chattanooga in the other semifinal contest, and will take on their respective foe in the 2011 SoCon title game. The contest is slated to tip at 4 p.m. from UTC's McKenzie Arena and will be televised on SportSouth.
NOTES: ASU now has a school record 25 wins (25-5) … the win is Appalachian's first semifinal win since 1999 … Darcie Vincent coached Mountaineer teams are 1-1 in SoCon semifinal action … ASU now has a 12-4 road record and is 4-0 at neutral sites … the Mountaineers advance to the finals for the first time under Vincent and for the seventh time in school history (first since 1999) … ASU is now an even 7-7 in the semifinal round of the tournament.
