Appalachian State seemed on the verge of a major men’s college basketball upset for most of Thursday night at the Holmes Convocation Center, but the struggling Mountaineers couldn’t close the deal in a demoralizing 71-67 Sun Belt Conference loss to UT-Arlington.
Missed free throws, empty offensive possessions and turnovers in the final minutes sent Appalachian (2-12 overall, 0-3 in conference) to its 12th loss in its past 13 games, negating what could have been a confidence-boosting victory over the Sun Belt’s hottest team.
“When you give up 14 offensive rebounds, don’t hit your free throws (7-of-16) and make 20 turnovers, you aren’t going to win many games,” ASU coach Jim Fox said.