BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University men's basketball shot just 3-for-21 in the second half and fell late to Western Carolina, 58-53, on Saturday afternoon inside the Holmes Center.

The Mountaineers (2-5) pulled to within one point at 54-53 with 23 seconds left in the game, but wouldn't be able to take the lead as the Catamounts (3-5) made four free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Leading the Black and Gold offensively for the afternoon as the lone double-digit scorer was sophomore Ronshad Shabazz, who finished with 17 points, including 9-for-12 from the charity stripe. Freshman Isaac Johnson finished with seven points, seven rebounds and two steals.

Leading the board crashing for App State was sophomore Tyrell Johnson. Johnson finished with 11 boards to go along with six points and three blocks in 26 minutes of action.

After shooting 10-for-28 in the opening half, Appalachian went cold after the break, shooting just 14.3 percent from the floor to finish the game and 26.5 percent overall.

The Black and Gold's defense was able to hold WCU to 14.3 percent 3-point shooting in the second half, but it wouldn't be enough to offset the Apps' 24-14 deficit in the paint.

Appalachian's largest lead of the game came in the second half with 16:01 remaining. Already up 35-33, an Emarius Logan three put App State up five points. Unfortunately, a 10-2 run from the Cats would put Western Carolina in front for good. 

The Mountaineers return to action in the second game of their short two-game home stand when they take on Montreat College inside the Holmes Center on Sunday, Dec. 11. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.

Notes: This marks the third-straight loss to Western Carolina in the all-time series … 53 points is the lowest total the Mountaineers have registered this season … the last time Appalachian State shot as poorly from the field was at Georgia Southern (29.0 percent - Feb. 25, 2016) … Ronshad Shabazz made a career-high nine free throws … Tyrell Johnson's 11 rebounds were a career high … with an attendance of 2,497 - it was the largest attendance since Feb 2, 2013 against Western Carolina (2,852).