Box Score Game box (pdf)
RICHMOND, Va. – The Wofford men’s basketball team was defeated 64-58 by the University of Richmond at the Robins Center in the Nations of Coaches Classic. The Spiders opened the second half with a 10-0 run, but the Terriers battled to within two points in the final seconds of the contest.
Wofford begins the season 1-4, while Richmond improves to 4-1. The Terriers were led by Karl Cochran with 17 points, while Spencer Collins added 13 and Lee Skinner had 10 points and six rebounds. The Spiders were led by Kendall Anthony with 24 points and Derrick Williams had a double-double with eleven rebounds and ten points.
“We talk about the first five minutes of games and halves with concern with a young team,” said head coach Mike Young. “The concern is that they hang their head and pout, but they stuck it back in there and found a way to scratch and claw and we did some nice things in both halves. It was a two point game at the half against a good Richmond team. I am disappointed that we lost, but we need to turn our attention to Hampton on Friday and find a way to win.”
The Spiders scored first and after five minutes of play they led 5-4. Carl Cochran hit a three pointer to give the Terriers a lead and after a three by Jarell Byrd at the 14:07 mark Wofford had a 10-8 advantage. Richmond added a three pointer and with 7:28 left in the first half they held a 14-12 lead. The first career three pointer by Bryan Harris gave Wofford a 15-14 lead.
Karl Cochran hit a long three at the shot clock for an 18-16 advantage with six minutes remaining. The game was tied at 18 before Karl Cochran had a lay-up for a 20-18 lead with 3:14 left in the first half. With the score tied at 24, the Spiders hit a shot as time expired in the half to take a 26-24 lead at the break.
To begin the second half, Richmond scored the first seven points and had a 33-24 lead after four minutes. After a Wofford turnover, the Spiders added a bucket and free throw for a 10-0 run. The Terriers finally got on the board with a three pointer from Jarell Byrd with 13:24 on the clock down 36-27. Two minutes later, the lead was 38-30 for the Spiders.
Wofford had a bucket by Spencer Collins with 7:37 remaining to cut the advantage to 45-38. After John Swinton made it a 47-40 game, Kendall Anthony scored four straight points for the Spiders to increase the lead to 51-40 with six minutes on the clock. Wofford cut the lead to 52-45 with 2:10 left after a shot by Lee Skinner. Karl Cochran hit a three to make it 56-50 with one minute remaining. A three by Lee Skinner cut the lead to 58-55 with 33.6 seconds left and a three by Karl Cochran with twelve seconds made it a 60-58 game. The Spiders hit two free throws with 11.1 on the clock to make it a four point game. After a missed three by Wofford, Richmond hit two free throws for the 64-58 final score.
Wofford shot 35.7% from the floor while Richmond shot 39.6% overall. The Terriers were 8-of-22 from three, while the Spiders were 4-of-18 from behind the arc. Wofford was 10-of-16 from the free throw line, while Richmond was 22-of-28 from the line. The Spiders had a 38 to 33 lead on the glass. The game was the first career start for freshman C.J. Neumann, but he left the game with a jaw injury. Karl Cochran fouled out in the final second of the game.
Wofford will continue the five-game road trip on Friday and Saturday in Wilmington, North Carolina for the Nation of Coaches Classic. The Terriers will face Hampton on Friday and UNC Wilmington on Saturday, with both games starting at 2:00 p.m.
