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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After a 77-58 win over Western Carolina on Sunday night, the Wofford men’s basketball team has advanced to the Southern Conference Championship game for the first time in school history. The Terriers made 15-of-16 free throws in the final three minutes of the game to claim the victory at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Wofford has won twelve in a row and is 25-8 on the season and 15-3 in the SoCon. Western Carolina is 22-11 overall and 11-7 in the conference.
The Terriers were led by Terry Martin with 17 points. Jamar Diggs added twelve points and Tim Johnson had ten points. Noah Dahlman recorded his sixth double-double of the season with ten points and ten rebounds. The Catamounts were led by Harouma Mutombo with 18 points, while Richie Gordon had 13 points and eight rebounds.
“Hats off to a very fine Western Carolina team that’s been awfully good in out league,” said head coach Mike Young. “I was concerned more so that usual because of their size and aggressive style. I think this bunch is on a mission, and we’re thrilled we have the opportunity to come over tomorrow night for the championship and represent our conference one more time in this environment.”
The Catamounts scored first, but the Terriers answered with six straight points to take the lead at the 15:30 mark. Wofford continued to feed the ball into the paint and after a bucket and free throw by Terry Martin at 12:35, the lead was 13-6. Tim Johnson scored six of the Terriers next eight points as the lead was extended to 23-14 at the 7:59 mark.
Western Carolina used an 8-2 run to cut the lead to 25-22 with 3:34 left in the first half. Haruna Mutombo hit a three at 2:34 to make it a two-point game at 27-25. Wofford would then score six of the final eight points in the half, including buckets by Corey Godzinski and Cameron Rundles, to take a 33-27 lead at the break. In the first half, the Terriers were 56.5% from the floor, but did not hit a three pointer.
Four minutes into the second half, Wofford had a 37-30 lead after buckets from Dahlman and Martin. Junior Salters hit the first three pointer of the night at 14:35 to take a 40-30 lead. The Terriers continued to pound the ball inside and extended the advantage to 48-33 after a bucket and free throw by Terry Martin at 11:29.
The Catamounts used a quick 6-0 run to cut the lead back to 48-39 two minutes later. However the Terriers used two lay-ups by Tim Johnson to take a 54-43 lead at the 7:54 mark in the second half. A three by Mutombo cut the lead back to eight points at 54-46, but Wofford responded with six of the next eight points to take a 62-48 lead with 3:35 left in the half.
Over the final 3:10, the Terriers did not make a field goal, however they converted on 15-of-16 free throws. The Catamounts scored ten points over that same time, but could not catch Wofford as they pulled away for the 77-58 win.
Wofford shot 48.9% from the floor and 10.0% (1-10) from three. From the free throw line, the Terriers shot 81.1%%. Western Carolina was 35.0% overall and 27.8% from behind the arc. They shot 61.1% from the line. Wofford had a 40-30 lead on the glass, which included 32 defensive rebounds. All 15 players dressed for the Terriers played, with nine scoring.
Mike Williams fouled out at 2:25 for the Catamounts and Gordon Richie fouled out with 22 seconds left. Noah Dahlman scored in double-figures for the 33rd time this season and has a streak of 46 games with ten or more points. With the victory, the Terriers have 25 wins on the season tied for the most in school history (1959-60). The 33 games played this season also tie a school record. The 81.1% from the free throw line was the highest for Wofford since hitting 81.8% in the first meeting against Western Carolina on December 2.
Wofford reached the SoCon semifinals for just the second time in school history (2000), while Western Carolina was in the semifinals for the first time since 1999. It is the first title game appearance for the Terriers.
The Terriers will next play Appalachian State, who defeated the College of Charleston in the second semifinal. The game will air on ESPN2 and be played at Time Warner Cable Arena at 9:00 pm on Monday night. The winner will earn the conference’s automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
