Box Score Game Box (pdf)
Inside Wofford Basketball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford men’s basketball team picked up a 73-61 win over Appalachian State on Thursday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena. Drew Crowell set a new career-high with 19 points in the contest, while the Terriers shot over 50% from the floor.
Wofford is now 11-8 on the season and 4-3 in the Southern Conference, while Appalachian State is 7-10 overall and 3-4 in conference play. The Terriers were led by Drew Crowell with 19 points, while Kevin Giltner scored 18 points and was the leading rebounder with eight. Brad Loesing added ten points and seven assists. The Mountaineers were led by Andre Williamson with 20 points and nine rebounds.
“Our post players all had good games,” said Wofford head coach Mike Young. “Drew Crowell and Aerris Smith - what great games those guys had along with Lee Skinner. We have a nice rotation in there and now Jarell Byrd is continuing to have his confidence level grow and we can get Kevin Giltner off the floor for a second. We are getting better each game.”
The Mountaineers scored first, but the game was tied at four at four minutes into play. Wofford was able to take an 8-4 lead after a three pointer by Kevin Giltner. Appalachian State hit a couple three pointers to pull within 14-13 before a lay-up by Lee Skinner made it a 16-13 game at the 11:16 mark in the first half.
A three by Appalachian State tied the game, but Kevin Giltner made back-to-back threes for a 22-16 lead at the half way point of the first half. Wofford had a 26-19 advantage before the Mountaineers scored six straight points for a 26-23 score with 3:17 left in the first half to cut the lead to 26-25. The Terriers ended the run with a shot by Brad Loesing and a put-back by Jarell Byrd to make it a 30-35 game with just over a minute remaining. Neither team scored in the final minute to give Wofford a five point lead at the break.
Wofford opened the scoring in the second half, but the Mountaineers answered with back-to-back threes for a 32-31 score after two minutes. Appalachian State took a 33-22 lead, but Karl Cochran ended the 8-0 run with a three. At the 16 minute mark, Brad Loesing hit a couple free throws for a 39-36 lead. Kevin Giltner hit a three to push the lead to 44-38. A dunk by Jarell Byrd at the twelve minute mark gave the Terriers a 50-42 advantage.
A lay-up by Drew Crowell gave Wofford a 56-44 lead with under ten minutes to play in the second half. The Mountaineers pulled to 58-51 with five minutes left on the clock. Drew Crowell scored an easy bucket with 3:34 remaining in the game for a 62-53 advantage. At 2:15, Crowell added a lay-up and free throw to push the lead to 65-55. Kevin Giltner added two free throws with 33 seconds left in the contest for a 71-59 score. Drew Crowell hit two free throws with 18 seconds remaining to provide the final 73-61 margin.
The Terriers shot 53.8% from the floor for the evening, while Appalachian State shot 41.5% overall. Wofford finished 5-14 from behind the arc. The Mountaineers went 8-of-23 from three. Wofford was 12-of-14 from the free throw line, while Appalachian State went 9-of-13 from the charity stripe. The Terriers had a 33 to 25 lead on the glass and had only eight turnovers.
The Terriers are now 11-0 when leading at the half. With the win, combined with losses by College of Charleston and Georgia Southern, Wofford moves into second place in the South Division. Wofford has won four straight games over Appalachian State. Omar Carter fouled out for the Mountaineers.
Wofford returns to the road on Saturday, January 21 at Furman for a 4:00 p.m. contest, which will be the first of three straight road games for the Terriers. The next home game will be Monday, January 30 against Western Carolina.
