Box Score Wofford-Elon Box Score
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford College men’s basketball team lost 70-67 in overtime to Elon in a Southern Conference match-up on Saturday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena. The Phoenix hit a three-pointer as time expired to send the game to overtime, then hit another three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left for the win.
Wofford is 14-10 overall and 7-7 in SoCon play. Elon is 8-15 overall and 6-9 in conference play. Shane Nichols and Junior Salters led Wofford with 14 points, while Noah Dahlman had nine rebounds. Drew Gibson was a perfect 2-2 from the floor with one three-pointer and 7-of-7 from the line. He had 12 points and ten assists for his second double-double this season.
Elon was led by Brett James with a season-high 25 points, including 5-of-5 from behind the arc. Adam Constantine had eleven points and led the team with seven rebounds. The win ended a six-game losing streak for the Phoenix.
The Terriers scored first, but a three by T.J. Douglas gave the Phoenix an early 3-2 lead. Back-to-back three pointer by Shane Nichols and Corey Godzinski gave Wofford an 11-8 lead at 13:43. The Terriers were able to retain a slim lead until the 2:17 mark when Ola Atoyebi hit two free throws to tie it at 19-19. A three-pointer by Shane Nichols and two free throws by Corey Godzinski gave Wofford a 24-21 lead at the half.
Junior Salters scored the first seven points of the second half for the Terriers with a couple of three-pointers and a free throw to go up 31-26 at 16:49. After a bucket and free throw by Tyler Whatley and a three by Shane Nichols, the Terriers had their largest lead of the night at 37-28 at 14:35.
The Phoenix then went on an 8-0 run, ending with a three-pointer by Brett James, to cut the Wofford lead to 37-36 at 11:07. Using three baskets by Noah Dahlman, the Terriers pushed the lead to five at 46-41 with 6:25 left in the game. A three-pointer by Junior Salters gave Wofford a 49-43 lead with 5:40 remaining. Back-to-back three-pointers by Brett James in less than a minute tied the game at 49-49 with 4:12 on the clock.
With two minutes on the clock, the Terriers had a four point lead at 55-51. After two free throws by Brett James, Terry Martin hit a jumper from the lane with 22 seconds left to give Wofford a 57-53 lead. Adam Constantine hit a basket with eight seconds left, then Shane Nichols went to the line. He made his first, but missed the second for a 58-55 lead for Wofford. With no time left on the clock, Brian Waters hit a shot from the near the arc. After the referees conferred for several minutes, it was ruled a three-pointer and the game went to overtime.
In the overtime period, Terry Martin hit two free throws and a put-back lay-up to give Wofford a 62-59 lead at 3:40. After a basket by Brian Waters to cut the lead to one, T.J. Douglas hit a three to give the Phoenix a 64-62 lead with 2:16 on the clock. The Terriers regained the lead with a basket and free throw by Corey Godzinski. Wofford had a chance to go up by three points, but Terry Martin missed two free throws with 74 seconds remaining in overtime.
With 38 seconds left and time expiring on the shot clock, Brett James hit a three-pointer to give Elon a 67-65 lead. Drew Gibson then hit two free throws to tie the game at 67-67 with 26 seconds on the clock. At 3.9, T.J. Douglas hit a long three to take a 70-67 lead. A last chance three-pointer by Shane Nichols from the left corner did not go and Elon took the win.
Wofford shot 40.4% from the floor and 40.0% from three. The Terriers were 68.0% from the line. The Phoenix were 42.9% from the floor and 42.9% from behind the arc and 68.4% from the free throw line. The Terriers had a 40-34 edge on rebounds.
The Terriers have won six of their last eight games in conference play. Marcus Jackson (shoulder) was the only Terrier who did not dress for the contest. There were eleven lead changes and ten ties in the game. Adam Constantine fouled out for Elon in overtime. It was the first overtime game for the Terriers this season and also for the Phoenix. Wofford had two overtime games last season, both wins. The last overtime loss for Wofford was on February 25, 2006, an 84-80 win by The Citadel.
Wofford will play at Appalachian State on Monday night at 7:00 pm before returning home on Thursday, February 14 against Georgia Southern.
