GREENSBORO, N.C. - Appalachian State University men's basketball continues its crucial stretch of four-straight division games as it travels to UNCG for the teams' second meeting this season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Greensboro Coliseum.
The Mountaineers (8-10, 4-4 SoCon) sank 16 clutch free throws down the stretch to defeat rival Western Carolina, 84-72, last Saturday at the Holmes Center. The win helped ASU improve to 6-2 at home on the season and 3-1 against SoCon North foes.
Appalachian opens the week tied with UNCG in the SoCon North standings, just a half-game behind Elon for the division lead.
ASU leads the SoCon in three-point shooting, at 36.5 percent for the season. Jamaal Trice leads the team and ranks third in the league with a 44.4 percent success rate from downtown. The junior led the team with 21 points in Saturday's win.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS:
• UNCG (6-14, 4-4) has won four-straight games under interim head coach Wes Miller, who took the reins of the program in mid-December.
• The Spartans are 3-4 at home on the season after a pair of division wins against Chattanooga and Samford last week.
• Trevis Simpson leads the team with 15.9 points per game and is joined in double figures by SoCon Player of the Week Derrell Armstrong's 10.0 points.
• Drew Parker's 50 percent mark from downtown leads the SoCon. UNCG ranks last in the league with a 38.7 percent shooting average, but stands second with 7.6 steals per game.
SERIES HISTORY:
• Appalachian took a 78-64 decision in this season's first meeting to improve to 20-16 against the Spartans.
• ASU is 9-7 on the road against UNCG, and 2-0 in the Greensboro Coliseum in the last two seasons.
• Omar Carter scored 24 points and pulled in 12 rebounds in the teams' December meeting. The senior averages a double-double in three games against UNCG, with 23.0 points and 11.0 rebounds. Carter shoots 53.1 percent from the field and 93.3 percent from the foul line against the Spartans.
• The last time ASU traveled to the Coliseum, it took overtime to separate the teams as the Apps brought home an 80-78 win that began a 7-1 February record for the Mountaineers.
• It was a pair of free throws by Carter with 25 seconds left that provided the final margin. He finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds on the night.
• Donald Sims added 23 points, six rebounds and five assists in the contest, while fellow senior Jeremi Booth chipped in 13 of his own.
• ASU has scored at least 70 points in seven-straight meetings with UNCG.
Appalachian returns home to host Elon on Saturday in a 2 p.m. matchup. $1 from every ticket sold will be donated to the Watauga Education Foundation in support of Watauga County Schools.
