ASU plays at

Elon, Greensboro
By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com

Applachian State is officially in its homestretch run.

The Mountaineers play two key North Division games this week. They start with a showdown at Elon Thursday and then play at UNC Greensboro Saturday.

Appalachian State likes a fast-paced tempo. Elon prefers to slow the game down to a crawl.

In recent games, Elon’s been able to slow Appalachian State down with good defense and good enough shooting to keep the Mountaineers into a half-court game. Thursday night, the Mountaineers played at Elon, but results were not available at press time.

Mountaineers coach Houston Fancher knows that playing at cozy Alumni Gym is not easy. Appalachian State has won just one time at Elon, which was last year.

Appalachian State has a chance to sweep the Phoenix, which the Mountaineers have not done since Elon joined the league. The Mountaineers beat Elon 58-52 at the Holmes Center earlier this year. Fancher expects a tough game.

“It always has been for us,” Fancher said. “It is for a lot of people. It’s very quaint, if you will. They gave us all we wanted here last time. We’ll have to bring a little bit more and continue to play at a high level if we’re going to be able to be involved in that game, because we’re well aware of how they want to play and the pace they want to play at.”

UNC Greensboro relies on the formidable skill of 6-foot-6 forward Kyle Hines, who is second in the Southern Conference in scoring.

But the Mountaineers can score when their offense is in sync. Donte Minter has been on a recent tear, scoring 25 points in a win over The Citadel and 24 more points in a win over Wofford Saturday and Monday respectively.

Jeremy Clayton added 12 points Saturday and has 201 career blocked shots, which is a school record. Clayton needs 75 points to become the 28th Mountaineer to score a career 1,000 points.

“We tried to establish our inside game early,” Sims said. “That’s what we have to do to be successful. We’ve got to ride them out for the rest of the year.”

Appalachian State went 2-1 during its recent homestand against South Carolina teams. The Mountaineers lost to College of Charleston, but beat The Citadel and Wofford.

They face an Elon team that has won two straight and a UNC Greensboro team that blew an 18-point lead in a loss to Davidson Wednesday night. Davidson’s Stephen Curry scored 41 points in that game, which was played at UNC Greensboro’s Fleming Gym. The Wildcats trailed 52-37 at halftime.

Appalachian State plays three of its final six games on the road.

Following this weekend, the Mountaineers host Furman on Feb. 21.