BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University men’s basketball’s furious second-half rally came up just short in an 87-76 loss to red-hot UL Lafayette on Thursday evening at the Holmes Center.
Appalachian State (6-16, 4-7 Sun Belt) trailed 52-35 at halftime and saw the deficit balloon to as large as 21 points early in the second half. However, on the strength of a 19-8 run, Appalachian pulled within four at 78-74 on Frank Eaves’ layup with 5:08 to go in the ballgame.
Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, they wouldn’t get any closer, as NBA prospect Shawn Long had slam dunks on back-to-back possessions down the stretch and UL Lafayette (13-9, 9-3 Sun Belt) closed the game on a 9-2 run to seal its eighth-straight win.