Box Score Game Box (pdf)
Inside Wofford Basketball
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Wofford men’s basketball team was defeated 57-45 by South Carolina at Colonial Life Arena on Wednesday night. The difference in the contest was three pointers, as the Gamecocks hit eleven on the night, including five from Bruce Ellington, and the Terriers were held to only 5-of-19 from behind the arc.
Wofford is now 7-6 on the season, while South Carolina is 6-6 overall. Wofford was led by Karl Cochran with 12 points and Kevin Giltner with ten points. Drew Crowell was the leading rebounder with seven. The Gamecocks were led by Bruce Ellington with 17 points as he was 5-of-6 from behind the arc. Damien Leonard added 14 points, including four three pointers. Anthony Gill had eight rebounds.
“We got it to a four point game with under eight on the clock and there is going to be a cluster of four or five plays that will get you out of here with a win or if you don’t make enough of those they get you,” said Wofford head coach Mike Young. “We have to get a little bit tougher and a little bit smarter. When we do that, we are going to be fine. We had some guys play pretty good basketball for us tonight, we are right here and in great shape. We have to do a better job of contesting the three and you can’t let guys have rhythm shots.”
The Gamecocks scored the first six points of the game, all on dunks, before a lay-up by Karl Cochran at 15:21 made it a 6-2 game. Kevin Giltner hit a three, but Damien Leonard answered with a three and it was 10-6 at the twelve minute mark of the first half. A three by Brad Loesing cut the lead to 10-9 at 9:45 on the clock.
Wofford took an 11-10 lead after a bucket by Kevin Giltner and the Terriers had a 15-13 advantage at 7:13 after a lay-up by Brad Loesing. Wofford pushed the lead to 17-13 with a bucket by Aerris Smith, but Bruce Ellington hit a three to make it a 17-16 game with 6:41 left in the first half. With under three minutes to go, the Gamecocks regained the lead at 21-19 on a three by R.J. Slawson. Bruce Ellington added back-to-back three pointers for a 27-20 advantage with 45 seconds on the clock. At the half, the Gamecocks had a 29-21 lead.
After South Carolina hit a bucket to open the second half, Kevin Giltner hit a jumper which began a 9-0 run for the Terriers and it was a 31-30 game with 16:12 on the clock. The Gamecocks scored the next seven points to push the lead back to 38-30 at 13:35. Wofford then scored the next four points for a 38-34 score with 8: 53 remaining in the half. Bruce Ellington and Karl Cochran then traded three pointers for a 41-37 game a minute later.
South Carolina pushed the lead back to 46-37 before a three by Kevin Giltner with 6:20 left in the half. After a jumper by Drew Crowell, the score was 49-43 with 4:29 on the clock. The Gamecocks took a 52-43 lead after a three by Damien Leonard with 3:21 left in the second half. South Carolina added another three by Bruce Ellington on the way to a 57-45 final score.
The Terriers shot 36.0% from the floor for the evening, while South Carolina shot 44.4% overall. Wofford finished 5-19 from behind the arc. The Gamecocks went 11-20 from three. Wofford was 4-of-10 from the free throw line, while South Carolina went 6-of-10 from the charity stripe. Wofford held a 34-26 rebounding margin.
The Terriers will return to the court at Wake Forest on January 2 at 7:00 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast on Fox Sports South and ESPN3. Wofford returns home on Thursday, January 5 against the College of Charleston at 8:00 p.m.
