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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Wofford men’s basketball team used a 69-56 win over Appalachian State in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Southern Conference Tournament to advance to the semifinals for the second straight season. The game was tied at the half, but a 12-1 run in the second half broke the game open for the Terriers. Wofford will play Western Carolina on Sunday.
Wofford is 19-12 on the season and Appalachian State is 16-15 overall. The Terriers were led by Noah Dahlman with 21 points, while Cameron Rundles, Jamar Diggs and Brad Loesing all scored in double figures. Terry Martin had eight rebounds for Wofford. The Mountaineers were led by Donald Sims with 14 points and Andre Williamson with 13 rebounds.
“To win against a quality team with great players in Sims and Carter, that says it all right there,” said head coach Mike Young. “We said in our preparation leading up to it that we can’t let those two guys beat us. We had great individual defense from Jamar Diggs, Brad Loesing and Cameron Rundles, but more importantly it was great team defense. Noah Dahlman delivered when he had to tonight as he has so many times throughout his career.”
The Mountaineers scored first, but a three by Cameron Rundles gave the Terriers a 5-4 lead two minutes into the game. Noah Dahlman scored two straight buckets as Wofford had a 9-5 advantage at the 16:41 mark. A three by Brad Loesing pushed the lead to 12-7 as the Terriers maintained a five-point advantage.
A three by Kevin Giltner gave Wofford the largest lead of the first half at 23-16 with 9:20 on the clock. The Mountaineers chipped away and a three by Donald Sims with under four minutes remaining made it a one-point game at 27-26. Appalachian State scored the final four points of the half to send the game into the break tied at 32 each.
Early in the second half, Brad Loesing hit a three for a 37-34 lead, but the Mountaineers answered with four straight points for a 38-37 lead. A bucket and free throw by Cameron Rundles gave Wofford a 40-38 lead at 16:13. Jamar Diggs scored seven straight points for the Terriers to take a 47-40 lead, however the Mountaineers scored the next four to cut the lead to 47-44 before a lay-up by Noah Dahlman at the 12:30 mark in the second half.
Noah Dahlman and Brad Loesing added buckets as Wofford was able to push the lead to 53-44 with 10:21 on the clock. The buckets were part of a 12-1 run that the Terriers used to take a 59-45 lead with 5:47 left in the game. Wofford kept the advantage over the final minutes of the contest and came away with a 69-56 win.
Wofford shot 48.3% from the floor and was 44.4% from three. From the free throw line, the Terriers were 75.0%. Appalachian State was 39.3% overall and was 8.3% from behind the arc as they made only one of 12 attempts. They were 68.8% from the line. The Terriers had a 38 to 31 lead on the glass and had eight assists to only four turnovers.
The game was a rematch of the 2010 Southern Conference Tournament finals, which was also won by Wofford. The Terriers advance to the semifinals for the second straight year and only the third time in school history.
Wofford will play Western Carolina, who defeated UNC Greensboro 77-66 on Saturday. The Catamounts are the #1 seed in the North. The game will be played at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday and broadcast on SportSouth.
