March 1, 2007

Final Stats |  Photos from Quarterfinals vs. #2 Appalachian State 

North Charleston, S.C. - Seventh-seeded Western Carolina got a game-high 24 points from All-Southern Conference selection, freshman Nick Aldridge but it was not enough as the No. 2 seed Appalachian State benefited from 49 points off its bench to down the Catamounts, 79-56, Thursday evening in quarterfinal action from the 2007 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship at North Charleston Coliseum.

The loss ends Western's season at 11-20 overall. Picked in the preseason to finish fifth in the SoCon's North Division, the Catamounts fought for first place in the division mid-season and placed third, garnering the seventh seed in tournament play based on a tie-breaker policy.

With the win the Mountaineers improved to 25-6 overall and advance to take on the winner of the game between No. 3 College of Charleston and No. 6 Georgia Southern in the semifinals, Friday at 8:30 pm.

The lone Catamount in double figures, Aldridge finished the game 11-of-25 from the floor as the Catamounts shot 37.5-percent, including a mere 12.5-percent (2-of-16) from beyond the as a team for the game. The South Webster, Ohio, native also tied for the team lead in rebounding with six boards and a game-high three steals. Freshman Jake Robinson added nine points including one trey while his classmate Brandon Giles chipped in eight points.

"I thought Appalachian took us out of anything we wanted to do offensively. Their pressure caused us a lot of problems," said WCU head coach Larry Hunter. "App has had a great year. We tried to keep the same pace and we could not hold on. It was a tough challenge for us.

Three of ASU's double-digit scorers came off the bench, led by Doug McLaughlin-Williams' 12 points as he tied a season-high with three three-pointers on four attempts. Eduardo Bermudez and Donte Minter each added 11 points, with all of Bermudez's points coming in the second half. D.J. Thompson scored a game-high 15 points. Appalachian shot 48 percent from the field, including 40 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, and at an 80 percent clip from the charity stripe.

After two quick points by the Catamounts out of the halftime locker room, Thompson nailed his third three-pointer of the game to open the second half for the Mountaineers as they took a 37-29 lead just 30 seconds in to the final period.

Western Carolina was able to pull within three at 37-34 on a steal and dunk by Aldridge before Thompson's fourth trey gave ASU a six-point, 40-35, lead at the 18-minute mark. ASU extended its lead 12, 47-35, with 15:30 remaining. The Apps continued to pull away midway through the half with an 11-4 run, led by nine points from Bermudez, to take a 52-39 lead with 11 minutes to go.

Down 18, WCU mounted a 7-0 spurt to pull within 11 points, 59-48 at the 7:12 mark, but the Mountaineers were able to convert from the free throw six-straight free throws to hold off the upset-minded Catamounts. All told, Western was outscored in the second frame 44-32.

In the first half, tied at five apiece, Western Carolina scored five unanswered points to lead 10-5 three and a half minutes into the game. ASU tied the score at 10, but WCU built a 16-12 lead with 12:44 to go. Appalachian followed with an 11-0 run to take a 23-16 lead with just under seven minutes to go in the half.

The Catamounts cut the lead to two points led by back-to-back buckets by Aldridge, before a lay-up by Minter extended the lead back to four at 27-23 with 3:34 left in the period. Four more unanswered points by ASU stretched the lead to 31-23 with just under two minutes to play. McLaughlin-Williams hit his second three of the game at the 54 second mark as Appalachian went into halftime with a 34-27 lead.

The game concluded the career of senior Kyle Greathouse, who saw eight minutes of court time in his final SoCon tournament. The Lancaster, Ohio, native who was a strong mentor for this year's team finished his career ranked on both of Western's assists and 3-pointers made charts.