DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Wofford College men’s basketball team was defeated by Davidson 78-65 on Wednesday night at Belk Arena. The Terriers had a one point lead at the half, but the Wildcats outscored Wofford 44-30 in the second half.

Wofford is 12-9 overall and 5-6 in SoCon play. Davidson College is 14-6 on the season and 12-0 in conference play. The Terriers were led by Drew Gibson and Junior Salters with 14 points each and Tim Johnson had seven reboundomas Sanders had s. For the Wildcats, Stephen Curry had 34 points and Thomas Sanders had nine rebounds.

“I applaud and admire the way our guys went out tonight and gave it there all,” said Wofford head coach Mike Young. “We were not good enough to win when it mattered most tonight and we let it get away. Drew Gibson played 39 minutes tonight and used everything in his tank. We need to practice tomorrow; we need the work. We have a huge game on Saturday and we need to be ready to go for a tough Furman team.”

The Wildcats scored first, but the Terriers were able to take a lead at 6-4 at 16:20 in the first half. The game was tied at eight, then Wofford took a 13-8 lead with a three-pointer by Corey Godzinski. With Wofford up five points, the Wildcats went on a 6-0 run to retake the lead at 16-15 at 11:54 in the half. The game was then tied at 18 after a three-pointer by Matt Estep, but Stephen Curry hit two quick shots to give Davidson a 22-18 lead.

With under six minutes to play in the first half, the Terriers regained the lead at 27-26 with a dunk by Corey Godzinski. Tim Johnson tipped in a rebound to give Wofford a 29-26 lead, but a three-pointer by Stephen Curry tied the game. After a basket by Terry Martin gave the Terriers a 31-29 lead, Stephen Curry hit another three. After two free throws by Stephen Curry gave the Wildcats a 34-33 lead with 1:49 left in the half, Tyler Whatley scored on a jumper. The Terriers took a 35-34 lead into the half.

In the second half, the Wildcats used an early 7-0 run to take a 42-37 lead just two minutes into play. The Terriers were then able to pull within three at 46-43 after a basket by Tyler Whatley. However another run by the Wildcats, this time an 8-0 run, gave them a 54-43 lead at the 12:01 mark.

A basket by Tyler Whatley cut the lead to eleven points at 64-53 with just under eight minutes to play. After two free throws by Drew Gibson at 5:51, Wofford was within twelve points at 70-58. However another three by Stephen Curry pushed the lead back to 73-58 with four minutes to play. Down the stretch, Stephen Curry hit another three to push the lead to 78-61 with under two minutes to play. A basket by Drew Gibson and two free throws by Junior Salters made the final score 78-65.

Wofford shot 44.6% from the floor and 11.8% from three. The Terriers were 76.5% from the line. The Wildcats were 53.6% from the floor and 34.8% from behind the arc and 58.8% from the free throw line. Davidson had a 36-26 edge on the boards.

The game was the third in a stretch of five conference games in ten days. Shane Nichols (ankle), Marcus Jackson (shoulder) and Noah Dahlman (ankle) did not play for the Terriers. The loss ended the Terriers’ four game winning streak. Wofford only had two three-point baskets, the fewest this season.

Wofford will wrap-up a stretch of five games in ten days with a home game against Furman on Saturday, February 2. The Furman game will be broadcast on SportSouth.