Box Score Game Box (pdf)
Game Highlights
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Back home after a three game road trip, the Wofford men’s basketball team put together a dominant performance in an 82-56 win over Western Carolina at Benjamin Johnson Arena. Brad Loesing had his first career double-double with 14 points and ten assists as the Terriers shot 59.3% for the game.
Wofford is now 15-8 on the season after six straight wins and 8-3 in the Southern Conference, while Western Carolina is 9-14 overall and 3-7 in conference play. The Terriers had four players score in double figures and were led by Drew Crowell with 19 points, which included his first career three pointer. Karl Cochran added 16 points, Loesing had 14 points, and Kevin Giltner had 13 points. The Catamounts also had four players in double figures, led by Trey Sumler with 13 points along with six rebounds.
“We had great energy tonight,” said Wofford head coach Mike Young. “I was concerned with it being our third game in five days. To come in and put that 40 minutes together was pretty impressive. The guys love playing with one another and have a great time. They are completely unselfish defensively and we are rebounding the basketball. I thought we were a little sluggish to start, but kicked it in gear at the twelve minute mark with great passing and great shot selection.”
The Terriers scored first and took an early 8-1 lead with all eight points in the paint by Aerris Smith and Drew Crowell. The Catamounts scored their first field goal of the night with 13:00 on the clock to make it an 8-3 game. The game was tied at eight with eleven minutes to go, and then tied at ten before two straight shots by the Terriers for a 14-10 lead with eight minutes left in the first half.
After Wofford took a 16-12 lead with 6:10 on the clock, Karl Cochran pushed the lead to 20-15 with a jumper. A long two by Kevin Giltner gave the Terriers a 26-17 advantage with just over two minutes left in the half. Karl Cochran hit the first three of the night for Wofford with 50 seconds left for a 31-17 lead. The Catamounts scored to end the first half with a 31-19 score.
To open the second half, the Catamounts scored six of the first eight points to cut the lead to 33-25. Karl Cochran answered with a three at 17:15 to make it a 36-25 game. A three by Brad Loesing as the shot clock expired gave Wofford a 39-27 lead after five minutes of play. Loesing then assisted Lee Skinner on a dunk with 13:30 on the clock for a 45-31 score.
Kevin Giltner added a three with 12:45 remaining in the second half for a 48-33 lead, and then hit another three to make it a 51-36 score with twelve minutes on the clock. Brad Loesing hit a three, found Jarell Byrd for a dunk, and hit a jumper to give the Terriers a 58-38 lead with 9:30 left in the game. After Domas Rinksalis hit a free throw with 6:48 remaining, Wofford led 64-42. A long three by Kevin Giltner and a lay-up by Drew Crowell made it a 73-48 game with 3:41 remaining. A three by Drew Crowell at 2:10 made it a 76-49 advantage and the Terriers cleared the bench. Matt Steelman added two three pointers in the final minute for the 82-56 final margin.
The Terriers shot 59.3% from the floor for the evening, while Western Carolina shot 40.0% overall. Wofford finished 10-of-19 from behind the arc. The Catamounts went 2-of-14 from three. Wofford was 8-of-14 from the free throw line, while Western Carolina went 14-of-18 from the charity stripe. The Catamounts had a 29 to 28 lead on the glass.
In the month of January, Wofford finished 8-2 overall. Including tonight, the Terriers have shot over 50% from the floor in five of the last six games. Kevin Giltner has made a three pointer in each of the last eighteen games. The double-double by Brad Loesing was the first of his career and only the third of the season for Wofford.
Wofford remains at home on Saturday, February 4 to take on Samford at 2:00 p.m. before traveling to Davidson on Monday, February 6.
