Box Score Box Score (pdf)
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Wofford College men’s basketball team ended The Citadel’s eleven game winning streak on Saturday night at McAlister Fieldhouse with a 62-55 win. With the game tied at 55 with 1:35 left, the Terriers scored the last seven points of the game.
Wofford is 15-13 overall and 11-8 in the conference, while The Citadel is 19-11 overall and 14-5 in the SoCon. The Terriers were led by Noah Dahlman with 17 points and seven rebounds. Corey Godzinksi added twelve points, while Tim Johnson had eight rebounds to lead the squad. The Bulldogs were led by Demetrius Nelson with 14 points and eight rebounds and Cameron Wells added 13 points.
“We thought the toughest team and the most aggressive team would win,” said head coach Mike Young. “This is an accomplishment because The Citadel is tough and aggressive and have put together a great year. To come in here and win in this environment is a really great night for our guys. We made huge play after huge play not just in the second half but throughout the game. Needless to say I am proud of our team and I am looking forward to heading back home.”
The game was tied twice early at 6 and 8, but the Bulldogs took an 11-8 lead with a three from Zach Urbanus at 15:03. The Citadel continued the run and pushed the lead to 16-8 at the 11:26 mark. Noah Dahlman then put together a personal 9-0 run to give the Terriers the lead at 17-16 with 7:30 left in the first half.
Both teams traded the lead until Wofford took a 22-21 lead on a bucket and free throw by Terry Martin with 2:35 on the clock. The Terriers maintained a two-point lead after a three from Junior Salters made it a 25-23 game. The Citadel added a two from Zach Urbanus with 28 seconds left to tie the game and the score remained tied at 25-25 at the half.
To open the second half, the Bulldogs took an early 31-29 lead at the first media time out. A three by Corey Godzinski and a three from Kevin Giltner gave the Terriers the 37-35 lead at the 11:10 mark. The game was then tied several times before Jason Dawson hit a three at 8:34 to give the Terriers a 43-41 lead. Cameron Wells hit two free throws to tie the game at 53-53. Corey Godzinski hit a two, which was matched by Cameron Wells for a 55-55 score with 1:34 on the clock.
Wofford got a three from Brad Loesing, his first in the last six games, to take a 58-55 lead with just thirty seconds on the clock. After two free throws from Kevin Giltner, Noah Dahlman got the rebound from a missed three by the Bulldogs. The Citadel had another chance at a three with under ten seconds, but the rebound came to Junior Salters. Salters then hit two free throws with four seconds left in the game to seal the 62-55 victory.
A hoop and free throw from Terry Martin at 7:55 gave the Terriers a 46-42 lead. Wofford kept the lead with at three from Corey Godzinski at 6:23 to make it a 51-47 score. After a basket by Noah Dahlman, Demetrius Nelson answered for the Bulldogs for a 53-51 Terrier lead at 2:49.
Wofford shot 46.8% from the floor and 35.3% from three. The Terriers were 85.7% from the line. The Bulldogs shot 45.7% from the floor and 20.0% from behind the arc. The Citadel was 62.5% from the free throw line. The Terriers had a 30-24 advantage on the boards and had seven steals.
With the win, the Terriers are 11-8 in the conference and have secured the first winning conference record since joining the SoCon in 1997-98. It was the seventh-straight win for Wofford at The Citadel. The Citadel, which had an eleven-game winning streak that was the second longest in the nation, lost for the first time since January 17 at Wofford. The Terriers swept the season series for the second-straight year.
The regular season wraps up on Monday, March 2 when the Terriers host Furman at Benjamin Johnson Arena. The game will be the final home game for seniors Matt Estep and Marcus Jackson, who will be honored before the game.
The Southern Conference Tournament will begin on Friday, March 6. Wofford will be the #4 seed in the South Division and will play Elon, the #5 seed in the North Division at 7:00 pm at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
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