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GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Wofford College men’s basketball team needed overtime to defeat Furman 85-82 on Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena. The Terriers had a ten point lead in the second half, but a Furman rally late pushed the game to overtime where 4-of-6 shooting from the line secured the win.
Wofford is 13-12 overall and 9-7 in the conference, while Furman is 6-20 overall and 4-13 in the SoCon. The Terriers were led by Noah Dahlman with a career-high 25 points. Junior Salters added 21 points, while Tim Johnson led the team with eight rebounds. Furman was led by Jordan Miller with 20 points and Bryson Barnes with eleven rebounds.
“It was not aesthetically pleasing at times,” said head coach Mike Young. “I do not think we defended very well and I am disappointed we allowed them 82 points on our defense. I think we had some opportunities to put ourselves in good shape, but to Furman’s credit they hung in there. They have good players and Coach Jackson does a good job with his team. At the end of the day, we won by three and go back to the house and get ready for Monday”
The game started slowly, with the Paladins holding an 8-5 lead at the first media timeout. The Terriers pulled to 10-9 at the 14:08 mark and were able to tie the game at 14-14 with a basket from Noah Dahlman at 8:34. Furman regained the lead with a three from Justin Dehm.
At 5:29, Wofford took the lead with a three from Junior Salters for a 19-17 score. The game was tied at 19, 21 and 23 before the Terriers were able to 26-25 lead after a three from Junior Salters. In the last four minutes of the half, Wofford outscored the Paladins 13-6 to take a 39-31 lead at the break.
To open the second half, the Terriers built a ten-point lead at 47-37 with 16:09 on the clock. Back-to-back threes by Furman’s Justin Dehm cut the lead to 49-43 just a minute later. The Paladins cut the lead to three points at 51-48 and then made it a one-point game at 56-55 with 9:33 remaining.
Wofford then added five straight points by Junior Salters, including a three, to go up 61-55 at 8:17. The run went to 7-0 after a dunk by Terry Martin at 8:01 for the Terriers. The lead would narrow as the Paladins pulled back within two points at 70-68 with just 3:42 left in the game. A bucket from Jordan Miller tied the game at 70-70 at 3:12. Miller then hit one of two free throws for a one point lead and the Paladins first since 15:31 in the first half.
A two from Bryson Barnes with 48 seconds made it a 73-70 game. The 7-0 run Furman run was ended with two free throws by Noah Dahlman for a 73-72 score with 32 seconds left. Jordan Miller hit one free throw with 23 seconds, but then Jason Dawson was two-for-two for Wofford with 12 seconds left to tied the game at 74-74. Furman had a chance at the buzzer for a three, but it hit the rim.
In overtime, Corey Godzinski scored first for Wofford. The game was tied at 80 when Furman hit two free throws to go up 82-80 with 1:46 left. Noah Dahlman then scored on a fast break lay-up and added a free throw to give the Terriers an 83-82 lead with just 38 seconds left. Junior Salters then had two free throws with 18 seconds left, but he hit only the second for a 84-83 lead. Furman went down the floor, but a turnover was recovered by the Terriers. Noah Dahlman then hit one of two free throws with seven seconds left. Furman had a last chance three to tie, but it missed and Wofford had the 85-82 win.
Wofford shot 51.7% from the floor and 29.4% from three. The Terriers were 62.1% from the line. The Paladins shot 46.7% from the floor and 42.9% from behind the arc, including 4-of-8 in the second half. Furman was 74.1% from the free throw line. Wofford had a 36-33 advantage on the glass and forced 18 turnovers.
With the win, the Terriers are 9-7 in the Southern Conference. The nine wins are the most by Wofford since joining the league in the 1997-98 season. Wofford has reached the 8-8 mark in three previous seasons. Brad Loesing fouled out at 6:07 and Terry Martin fouled out at 2:32 in overtime for Wofford. Brandon Sebirumbi fouled out at 4:08 and Jordan Miller fouled out with 12 seconds left in regulation for Furman.
The game was the third overtime game of the season for Wofford and the Terriers are 2-1 in extra minutes. It marked the first Wofford win in Greenville since January 11, 2003 and the first overtime game against Furman since 1999.
The Terriers will be home on Monday, February 23 hosting Western Carolina at 7:00 pm as the second game of a stretch of five games in ten days to complete the regular season.
