Box Score Game Book (pdf)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After building a 27-point lead at the half, the Wofford College men’s basketball team defeated High Point 79-65 on Saturday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena. The Terriers shot 70 percent from the floor in the first half and led by as many as 33 points early in the second half of the contest.
Wofford is 5-6 on the season and High Point is 5-4 overall. The Terriers were led by Noah Dahlman and Kevin Giltner with 18 points each, Tim Johnson added a team-high eight rebounds and 14 points, while Brad Loesing dished out eight assists with eleven points. The Panthers were led by Nick Barbour with 18 points and Shay Shine with 17 points.
“I thought we were playing as a unit aggressively without fouling and they turned it over a few times which helped as we put together a great start,” said head coach Mike Young. “Our passing was dead on as we compiled a lot of assists. We were very unselfish and we got better. We needed a night like this. I look forward to a couple days of practice then head up to Richmond for a couple games.”
The Terriers got off to a great start in the contest, scoring the first 16 points. High Point got on the board with two free throws at 11:13 in the first half and added their first bucket with 10:22 on the clock for an 18-4 score. Wofford continued to build a lead and were up 28-8 after a bucket and free throw by Terry Martin at 6:48.
A three by Kevin Giltner with 41 seconds left in the half made it a 41-14 game. At the break, Wofford had a 43-16 advantage. The Terriers were 70.8% from the floor, while the Panthers were shooting 28.6% in the first half.
In the second half, Wofford scored the first six points and had a 49-16 lead after a three by Cameron Rundles at the 17:05 mark. The Panthers answered with a 16-4 run over the next five minutes to cut the lead to 53-32. A three by Kevin Giltner made it a 58-32 game with 10:34 on the clock.
The Panthers cut the lead to 64-45 with 6:31 left in the game, but Wofford went on a quick 6-0 run for a 70-45 advantage with 4:48 on the clock. In the final minutes of the game, High Point was able to chip away and made it an eleven-point game after a three by Xavier Martin with 29 seconds left. Wofford scored the final three points in the contest for the 79-65 final score.
Wofford shot a season-high 65.9% from the floor and were 70.0% from three. From the free throw line, the Terriers were 64.3%. High Point was 46.9% overall and were 37.5% from behind the arc. They were 80.0% from the line. Rebounds were even at 24. Jamar Diggs sat out the game after picking up two technical fouls at South Carolina last weekend.
After taking a ten-day break, the Terriers will return to action in the Richmond Marriott Holidays on the Hardwood Classic. On December 29, Wofford will face Virginia Commonwealth at 7:30 pm and on December 30 will face either Cornell or New Hampshire at 5:00 pm. The Terriers return home on January 6 against The Citadel.
