BOONE, N.C. – Brandon Boggs, Mike Williams and Richie Gordon combined for 59 points as Western Carolina defeated Appalachian State 80-75 Thursday night.
Boggs and Williams each scored 20 points and Gordon added 19 as the Catamounts (14-13, 10-5 Southern Conference) won their fifth in a row and their sixth in seven games.
The Mountaineers (12-14, 8-8) got 30 points from Donald Sims and shot 54 percent from the field (27 of 50), but hurt themselves with 20 turnovers that led to 32 Western Carolina points. Andre Williamson added 16 points and Omar Carter tossed in 14, but the Mountaineers' four-game winning streak ended.
The lead changed hands 20 times, the final time coming on Boggs' 3-pointer with 1:24 left. That made it 75-72, and though Sims brought the Mountaineers within one, 76-75, with 28 seconds left, Williams sealed it with a steal and four free throws in the final 25 seconds.
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