Donald Sims scored 28 points and Jeremi Booth had 22 to lead Appalachian State to a 78-69 win over Samford on Saturday.
Andre Williamson had 16 points for the Mountaineers (3-3, 1-1 Southern Conference), who won their third game in a row against Samford. The win snapped the Mountaineers' three-game losing streak on the season.
Leading 42-41 with 17:39 to play, the Mountaineers went on a 12-1 run, capped by two free throws by Booth, to put the game out of reach at 54-42 with 9:29 to play. The lead never dipped below nine points after that and the Mountaineers led by as many as 15 points the rest of the way.
The Mountaineers shot 51 percent (26 of 51) from the field and kept the Bulldogs at bay by shooting 94.1 percent (16 of 17) from the foul line in the second half.
Jeffrey Merritt was the only player in double figures for Samford (5-4, 1-1) with 20 points.
