With eight games left for Appalachian State in its bid to finish first in the congested North Division of the Southern Conference, it's probably too early to label any game a "must win."
But Saturday's game against Elon wasn't far off the mark. Senior Omar Carter of ASU said it was vital enough.
"They were in first place, and we were at home," Carter said. "We really needed to win this one. And every game from this point is like a must-win.
"We want first place in the North Division."
ASU kept pace in that effort with a convincing 81-66 victory at the Holmes Center.
The Mountaineers improved to 5-5 in the North. UNC Greensboro took over first place at 6-4, and Elon slipped to second at 5-4.
Carter came off the bench for the third straight game and produced 20 points and 11 rebounds. Jamaal Trice added 20 points, and Andre Williamson grabbed 10 rebounds in the victory.
The Mountaineers shot 55 percent from the floor and seemingly scored at will in the opening moments of the second half, rolling to a 42-28 lead after just 3:40. Elon was 9 of 34 (26 percent) at that point.
"Every game you talk at halftime about wanting to set the tone in the first four minutes and, whether you're up or down, the first four minutes are vital," coach Jason Capel of ASU said. "You want to instill your will."
Capel said he sensed a lack of energy on Elon's part to start second half.
"I challenged our guys to really take it up a notch, and I thought we did that, especially defensively," he said. "I thought we did a heck of a job defensively. We rebounded the basketball and were able to turn that into baskets. We executed plays, something that was our Achilles' heel (in an overtime loss to UNC Greensboro on Thursday).
"We got in the paint whenever we felt like it. I didn't want to settle. We took 14 3s in the first half, and only took six in the second. We were 3 for 6, 50 percent. I'll take that."
Coach Matt Matheny of Elon said that ASU was the aggressor.
"I thought their run to start the second half really knocked us on our heels and made us play tentative," Matheny said. "Then it was an uphill climb from there."
The Mountaineers were ahead by as many as 17 points, the same lead they relinquished Thursday in the loss to UNCG. The Phoenix did get as close as eight, but the Mountaineers rebuilt the lead and went up by 18.
"We couldn't let it happen again, that's what I was thinking," Trice said.
Capel said: "The thing I'm most proud of is that I felt we got stronger as the game went on. At certain times this year, we've been good, and then we let our foot off the gas. I thought we got better as the game went on and we put them away."
The game finished with a testy moment, after the Phoenix continued to foul despite a substantial deficit in the final minute and Ryley Beaumont's flagrant foul on Nate Healy's breakaway.
Jack Isenbarger led the Phoenix (10-10 overall) with 20 points. Lucas Troutman grabbed 10 rebounds.
Appalachian (9-11) has two more home games — against Samford on Thursday and against College of Charleston next Saturday — before playing at Elon on Feb. 6.
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