Box Score Game Box (pdf)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford men’s basketball team was defeated 50-49 by Appalachian State on Tuesday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena. The Mountaineers closed the game on a 10-2 run, as the Terriers did not score in the final 6:57 of the contest.
Wofford moves to 6-9 on the season and 0-2 in the Southern Conference. Appalachian State is 5-8 overall and 0-2 in the SoCon. The Terriers were led by Spencer Collins with 13 points, while Lee Skinner added ten points. Skinner and John Swinton each had eight rebounds. The Mountaineers were led by Tevin Baskin and Nathan Healy with ten points each. Jay Canty had nine rebounds.
“It wasn’t a lack of wanting to,” said head coach Mike Young. “It was a lack of movement, screens and ball reversals. We had the ball on the floor too much. You get what you deserve in this game. We were down nine, call timeout and come roaring back and lead by seven. We threw the ball away and had some other things happen. We are still growing and figuring some things out and we will get them figured out.”
The Mountaineers opened the game with a three pointer, but Wofford took a 6-5 lead after a lay-up by Karl Cochran off a steal. Appalachian State scored the next four points to take a 9-6 advantage after six minutes of play. Wofford regained the lead at 10-9 following two free throws by Lee Skinner with 13:10 on the clock. The Mountaineers added the next four points and had a 13-10 lead before a three pointer by Jarell Byrd tied things at 13 with 11:30 remaining in the first half.
Taylor Wagener was fouled on a three pointer and made all three shots for a 16-13 lead. A dunk off a turnover by Karl Cochran with eight minutes left in the first half gave the Terriers a 22-19 advantage. The Mountaineers answered with a 6-0 run to regain the lead at 25-22 with 4:55 on the clock. Wofford ended the run with a free throw by Lee Skinner and a jumper by Spencer Collins to tie the game at 25 with two minutes left. The Mountaineers added a free throw in the final minute to take a 26-25 lead at the half.
To open the second half, Nathan Healy hit a three for Appalachian State and the added a jumper for a 31-25 advantage. Lee Skinner hit a lay-up, but the Mountaineers sank a three for a 34-27 lead. After pushing the score to 36-29, Spencer Collins had a jumper and two free throws to cut the lead to 36-31 with 15:55 left in the second half. A three by Collins made it a 36-34 game, and it was a 38-37 lead for the Mountaineers after seven minutes of play.
Two free throws by Lee Skinner at the 10:36 mark of the second half gave the Terriers a 39-38 lead. A three by Karl Cochran ninety seconds later made it a 44-40 advantage for Wofford. The Terriers took a 47-40 lead, but the Mountaineers cut the lead to 49-48 with 4:17 left in the half. Appalachian State regained the lead at 50-49 with 2:32 remaining. Wofford had four scoring opportunities in the final two minutes, but were unable to come away with a basket.
Wofford shot 36.2% from the floor while Appalachian State shot 35.1% overall. The Terriers were 3-of-10 from with three, while the Mountaineers were 3-of-18 from behind the arc. Appalachian State was 7-of-9 from the line while Wofford was 12-of-15 on free throws. Wofford had a 36 to 32 lead on the glass, but had 14 turnovers.
Wofford remains at home on Saturday evening when the Terriers host Georgia Southern at 7:00 p.m.
