Boone, N.C. – Appalachian State used a 20-5 run to erase an early Furman lead and grab a 30-25 advantage on its way to a 56-50 victory over the Paladins in Southern Conference men's basketball action on Thursday evening at the Holmes Convocation Center.

Mike Neal scored a team-high 15 points, including eight during the key Appalachian State spurt in the first half, to help the Mountaineers improve to 7-8 overall and 3-2 in SoCon play.  Furman fell to 7-9 overall and 1-4 in league play despite 18 points from senior Brandon Sebirumbi.

A pair of Jordan Loyd free throws and a Sebirumbi jumper trimmed Appalachian's lead to 52-50 with 2:35 to play before Charlie Reddick registered a steal.  Loyd missed an open look from three-point range that would have given Furman the lead, and after an Appalachian State miss on the other end, Dominic Early got a look from three-point range but could not connect.  Nathan Healy found a slashing Jamaal Trice for a dunk on Appalachian's next possession and Omar Carter converted a pair of free throws after a Paladin miss to cap the scoring.

Neal connected on 5-of-9 shots to lead the Mountaineers while Healy and Andre Williamson notched double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively.  Appalachian State shot 44.7% from the floor and out-rebounded the Paladins 30-26.

Charlie Reddick buried a pair of treys during a 12-2 first-half run that staked Furman to a 20-10 lead on Reddick's triple with 11:03 to play in the half.  The Paladins led 23-14 after Richard Brown drained a three with 8:43 left in the half, but Appalachian held Furman to just one basket the remainder of the period while reeling off a 16-2 run to carry a 30-25 edge into the locker room.

Appalachian State extended its lead to as many as nine points in the second half before an 11-4 Paladin run pulled Furman within two points in the final minutes.

Furman, which made nine of its first 15 field goal attempts, connected on only 9-of-31 shots the remainder of the way.  The Paladins shot 39% from the floor and made only 6-of-18 three-point attempts while committing 15 turnovers.

Sebirumbi made good on 7-of-11 shot for his game-high 18 points while Reddick added 14 points and six rebounds.

Furman travels to Cullowhee, N.C., to face Western Carolina on Saturday at 2 p.m. before returning home to host Georgia Southern and Wofford the January 19-21.