Box Score Game Box (pdf)
Game Highlights
2012 SoCon Tournament Bracket
Senior Night Photo Gallery
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In front of a sell-out crowd, the Wofford men’s basketball team defeated Furman 67-52 on Senior Night at Benjamin Johnson Arena. The Terriers used an 11-1 run in the first half to build a lead that they would carry though the end of the game. With the win and a loss by Georgia Southern, Wofford earns a bye in the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament.
Wofford is 19-12 overall and 12-6 in the SoCon. Furman is 14-15 overall and 8-10 in the conference. The Terriers were led by freshman Karl Cochran with 22 points and Kevin Giltner with 17 points, as each hit four three pointers. Brad Loesing added 15 points. The Paladins were led by Bryson Barnes with 14 points and six rebounds.
“We played a good basketball game tonight,” said head coach Mike Young. “We took a lot of things away from them tonight and we were very prepared. We were in the right spots and we had a great feel for how it is supposed to play out. They did it with great energy and excited on senior night with a full house. The crowd was great and our team responded accordingly. Wofford did what Wofford was supposed to do and we got a little help from our friends for the night in Davidson. It will be nice to watch the game on Friday and get ready to play on Saturday.”
The Terriers scored first, but the Paladins scored the next six points for a 6-2 lead at the 16:33 mark. Brad Loesing ended the run with a jumper at 13:43 to make it a 6-4 game. Furman answered with a 4-0 run and a 10-4 advantage at the twelve minute mark of the first half. Karl Cochran hit a three and a bucket plus free throw to tie the game with ten minutes on the clock. A lay-up by Karl Cochran gave Wofford a lead and a Drew Crowell three pointer made it 15-11 at 7:25
A three by Kevin Giltner pushed the Wofford lead to 18-13 with less than seven minutes left in the first half. A Karl Cochran lay-up gave Wofford a 22-16 advantage and a three by Kevin Giltner at the four-minute mark made it a 25-16 game and Furman called a timeout. A three by Karl Cochran gave Wofford a 30-20 lead, but the Paladins answered with a three with a minute left. Furman added a tip-in with seven seconds on the clock to make it a 30-25 game at the half.
Wofford scored the first three points of the second half, but Furman answered with a three pointer for a 33-28 score two minutes into play. The Terriers went on a 7-0 run that included a three by Karl Cochran and a floater in the lane by Brad Loesing to build a 40-30 lead with 15:44 on the clock. Back-to-back three pointers by Kevin Giltner pushed the lead to 48-34 with twelve minutes left in the second half.
Brad Loesing hit a three at the 9:45 mark to give Wofford a 52-36 lead in the second half. With the shot clock expiring, Karl Cochran hit a three as the Terriers made it a 57-40 game with just under six minutes on the clock. Brad Loesing had a behind the back lay-up to take a 61-46 lead and he added two free throws to make it a 17-point lead with 2:11 left. A three pointer by Matt Steelman gave Wofford a 67-51 advantage. One free throw in the final seconds by Furman made it a 67-52 final score.
Wofford shot 48.0% from the floor while Furman shot 43.2% overall. The Terriers were 11-of-22 from three, while the Paladins were 4-of-18 from behind the arc. Wofford was 8-of-11 from the free throw line, while Furman was 10-of-16 from the line. The Paladins had a 30 to 25 lead on the glass.
Prior to the game, Wofford honored the six players who will be graduating: Drew Crowell, Kevin Giltner, Brad Loesing, Domas Rinksalis, Matt Steelman, and Joseph Tecklenburg. In addition, the Terriers honored senior student assistants Bowdre Fortson and David Hillsman. In all, the class has an 82-48 record over the past four seasons and also four-straight winning records overall and in SoCon play.
The Southern Conference Tournament will begin next Friday in Asheville. With the Wofford win and the Georgia Southern home loss to Davidson, the Terriers earned the #2 seed. Wofford will play Saturday, March 3 at 2:30 p.m. against the winner of the #3 North (Western Carolina) and #6 South (The Citadel) game at the Asheville Civic Center.
