App State

butchers Hogs
From staff reports

LTTLE ROCK, Ark. — Appalachian State center Donte Minter, at least according to Mountaineers coach Houston Fancher, has not played with much confidence lately.

“If he had as much confidence in himself that his teammates have in him, he’d border on overconfidence,” Fancher said.

It seems Minter’s days of self-doubt are gone. That was the case Saturday when he scored 20 points and led the Mountaineers to a 74-67 victory over Arkansas and its massive front line that features a 7-foot center and two players who stand 6-10.

Minter also pulled down nine rebounds and had six steals for the Mountaineers, who looked sluggish in their win over Virginia-Wise on Dec. 17. Their win over the Razorbacks was just the second game the Mountaineers (5-5) have played since Dec. 1.

Minter, who struggled against Virginia-Wise, thrived against the Razorbacks. His nine rebounds were a game-high and he helped the Mountaineers outrebound the Razorbacks 33-22.

“We kept going to him,” Fancher said. “We did a good job of controlling the tempo. They wanted to make home run plays and get the crowd involved. They wanted to run the ball and create havoc and turn the game into a track meet.”

The Little Rock crowd of 10,835, at the technically neutral site, were overwhelmingly pulling for the Razorbacks (9-3), who are 9-38 on the road in their last five years.

It did not help Arkansas to play an Appalachian State team that hit all 12 of its foul shots and shoot 67 percent from the field. The Mountaineers were 11-of-14 from the field in the second half, and made one 3-pointer, a Donald Sims dagger that gave Appalachian State a five point lead in the final minute of the game.
Sims burned Arkansas with a 10-0 run in the first half that helped the Mountaineers take a 37-31 lead.

Sims, a freshman, led the Mountaineers in scoring with 24 points.

“He was sensational,” Fancher said. “He scored 10 straight points in the first half that got us the lead.”

Appalachian State took its largest lead, 47-33, early in the second half. But the Razorbacks’ Charles Thomas led an 8-0 run that got Arkansas back in the game. The Razorbacks closed to within two points, but Sims nailed a 3-pointer off a Minter assist, to put the Mountaineers up 70-65 with 1:11 left.

“Tonight, he was the best guard on the floor,” Fancher said of Sims.

The victory was particularly satisfying to Fancher in light of three games earlier in the season when the Mountaineers had leads, but lost them and then the game. Appalachian State led Charlotte, San Jose State and Wichita State in the first half of each game, but failed to hold on to win.

“If we had led them come back and win, it would have been demoralizing before Christmas,” Fancher said. “But we won this game against the best team we’ve faced and in a hostile environment.”

Eddie Bermudez and Ike Butts each scored eight points for the Mountaineers. Arkansas, which hit just 14-of-25 foul shots and 41 percent from the field, got 15 points from Thomas and 14 from Darian Townes.

App. State 74, Arkansas 67
Appalachian State (5-5)
Clayton 2-4 2-2 6, Minter 9-11 2-2 20, Abraham 0-2 0-0 0, Bermudez 3-4 2-2 8, Brand 2-5 0-0 5, Sims 7-9 6-6 24, Butts 4-5 0-0 8, Bowne 0-0 0-0 0, McLaughlin-Williams 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 28-42 12-12 74.
Arkansas (9-3)
Weems 5-16 0-0 11, Hunter 1-2 0-0 2, Hill 1-1 2-2 4, Welsh 1-2 0-0 2, Beverley 2-7 0-0 5, Ervin 4-10 2-3 11, Thomas 6-10 3-9 15, Townes 4-7 6-7 14, Britt 1-3 0-0 2, Washington 0-2 1-4 1, Rakestraw 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-60 14-25 67.
Halftime—ASU 41, Arkansas 33. 3-Point Goals—ASU 6-12 (Sims 4-5, McLaughlin-Williams 1-2, Brand 1-3, Abraham 0-1, Bermudez 0-1), Arkansas 3-11 (Weems 1-3, Beverley 1-3, Ervin 1-3, Welsh 0-1, Washington 0-1). Rebounds—ASU 33 (Minter 9), Arkansas 22 (Thomas 6). Assists—ASU 17 (Minter 6), Arkansas 14 (Ervin 6). Total Fouls—ASU 17, Arkansas 17. Fouled Out—None. A—10,835.