1000 x 90

ASU Men’s Hoops Downs Carson-Newman in Exhibition

Jay Canty scored a game-high 27 points in Appalachian State’s 62-59 win over Carson-Newman in an exhibition game on Monday. Photo courtesy of Meghan Gay and Appalachian Sports Information

Nov. 6, 2012. Jay Canty scored a game-high 27 points and made a key defensive stop late to help lead Appalachian State University men’s basketball to a 62-59 win over Carson-Newman in its final exhibition game of the season on Monday at the Holmes Center.

After trailing for the vast majority of the game, the Mountaineers were able to finally snag a 43-41 lead with 12:31 left to go and held on late to close out the exhibition slate with a 2-0 record.

The Eagles, who nearly pulled out a win at East Tennessee State over the weekend, proved to be tough to handle in the first half as they led by as many as eight points on two occasions in the early-going.

Carson-Newman shot an impressive 50.0 percent (6-of-12) from beyond the arc in the first half to stake itself to a 31-26 halftime lead.

Appalachian would clamp down defensively in the second half, holding the Eagles to just 25.0 percent (3-of-12) from deep in the second half. The Mountaineers were also clutch from the free-throw line over the final 20 minutes, connecting on 11-of-12 free throws in the second half.

The Mountaineers were able to get out to their biggest lead of the night at 60-54 with just under three minutes to play, but the Eagles pulled within one (60-59) with just over a minute left.

With the lead hanging in the balance, Canty swatted a shot by Antoine Davis, grabbed the rebound and ran the length of the floor to seal the contest with an emphatic dunk.

Canty finished with a double-double after grabbing 10 rebounds while shooting 9-of-17 from the floor. Tab Hamilton notched 14 points in the contest, 12 of which came from long range, and Nathan Healy added 12 points and five rebounds.

Freshman forward Michael Obacha added seven points and four rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench while Chris Burgess finished with a game-high five assists.

Carson-Newman was paced offensively by Davis’ team-high 21 points while Ishmael Sanders finished with 16. The Eagles saw four different players grab at least four rebounds, led by Cody Henegar’s five boards.

Appalachian shot 33.9 percent (20-for-59) from the floor including 9-of-30 behind the arc and 13-for-16 from the charity stripe. Carson-Newman shot 45.3 percent (24-for-53) on the night but was just 2-of-7 from the free-throw line.

The Mountaineers dominated the boards with a 42-29 edge in rebounds and held the Eagles to just two offensive boards.

Appalachian State opens the regular season at 7:30 p.m. on Friday against Montreat at the Holmes Center.