BECKLEY, WV. - Senior Eric Joe scored 27 points to lead three in double figures for the Apprentice School as they lost 108-71 to NAIA Division I top-ranked Mountain State on Thursday night at the Beckley Armory.
The Builders opened up strongly against the Cougars racing out to a 14-5 lead on an Andre Henderson layup with 16:02 left in the half. Apprentice School held a 22-15 lead with 9:44 left on a Tim Johnson 3-point play before the hosts started a comeback.
Mountain State went on a 23-5 run over the next 7:13 capped by four points from Marcus Hunter to take a 38-27 lead with 2:37 left. Joe hit a 3-pointer late in the first half to cut the lead to 39-31 at intermission.
After trading buckets over the first couple minutes of the second half, the Cougars cranked into high gear reeling off a 21-4 run over a 4:38 span to take a 67-41 lead on a pair of Barry Wellington free throws at the 12:51 mark. From there, the lead grew to as much as 38 points late in the game.
Johnson had 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Tevin Andrews chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Builders who shot 45.6% from the floor (31-of-68) and outrebounded the Cougars 38-36. Nick Aldridge topped Mountain State (21-0) with 29 points.
Next up for the Builders will be a trip to Washington, DC on Saturday to face the University of District of Columbia in a 2 pm tipoff.