Box Score Wofford-BC Box Score
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – The Wofford College men’s basketball team finished the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic with a 70-59 win over Bethune-Cookman on Sunday afternoon at the Orleans Arena. Shane Nichols hit four three pointers in the second half to lead the Terriers.
The Terriers are 7-4 overall and 1-1 in SoCon play. Bethune-Cookman is 5-7 on the season. The game was the final for both teams in the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic. The Terriers ended the tournament with a 3-1 record. Wofford was led by Shane Nichols with 23 points and Corey Godzinski and Terry Martin with ten each. Tim Johnson had seven rebounds. Bethune-Cookman was led by John Holmes with 21 points.
“We defended really well in the first half and they still shot 61% from the floor,” said Wofford head coach Mike Young. “The key was that they only had one offensive rebound. We did an excellent job on the boards today and have become a pretty good rebounding team. Holding them to one shot was very important and we did that a few times. Ending the tournament 3-1 and finishing the ten day road trip will make for a great Christmas for us. We will have some days off, and get back to practice on the 28th.”
The Terriers missed their first three shots of the game, but took the lead at 5-3 at the four minute mark. Wofford extended the lead to 11-3 with a three-pointer by Matt Estep and a basket and free throw by Terry Martin. With 8:04 remaining in the first half, Wofford had a 20-12 lead. Back-to-back three-pointers by Dominique Whatley cut the lead to 20-18. After a jump shot by John Holmes, the Wildcuts narrowed the Terriers’ lead to only one at 21-10.
Wofford was able to extend the lead when Norm Nixon hit a jumper with 3:40 to go, followed by a turnover by the Wildcats and a quick lay-up by Terry Martin, with a foul shot, for a 30-24 lead. Three-pointers by Corey Goszinski and Shane Nichols allowed the Terriers to build a 39-30 lead at the half.
Bethune-Cookman was able to cut the lead to 44-39 after three-pointers by Jimmy Hudson and Kyle Cook. However a three by Shane Nichols and a two by Terry Martin pushed the lead back to 49-42 at the 15:47 mark. Back-to-back buckets by John Holmes for the Wildcats cut the lead to 49-46, but a three by Shane Nichols put the Terriers up 52-46 at 11:46.
A shot from behind the NBA arc for Junior Salters along with a basket by Tim Johnson gave the Terriers a 57-49 lead at 8:37 in the second half. Wofford extended the lead to ten points at 63-53 after a three-point shot by Corey Godzinski. A Noah Dahlman basket at 5:00 gave the Terriers a 65-53 lead.
Shane Nichols hit three free throws with 3:19 left in the second half for a 68-55 advantage for the Terriers. Corey Godzinski put back a rebound at 2:15 for a fourteen point lead for Wofford. The Wildcats hit three of four free throws in the last 1:13 for the 70-59 final margin.
The Terriers shot 50% from the floor and 47.6% from behind the arc in front of an intimate crowd at the Orleans Arena. Bethune-Cookman shot 52.6% and 55.6% from three point. Wofford had a 30-16 lead on rebounds. Wofford had 14 turnovers, while the Wildcats had eleven.
Drew Gibson was named to the Las Vegas Classic All-Tournament Team.
The game was the final game of five straight on the road for the Terriers. After taking a break for the holidays, the next home game will be Tuesday, January 3 against Chattanooga.
