Box Score Game Box (pdf)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Returning home after the Christmas break, the Wofford men's basketball team was dominant in an 81-53 win over High Point at Benjamin Johnson Arena. After a slow start, the Terriers went on a 15-0 run in the first half to build a 23-point halftime lead. Wofford shot 53.4% for the game and led by as many as 28 points in the second half.
Wofford improves to 5-7 on the season and High Point is 3-9 overall. The Terriers were led by Karl Cochran with 23 points and 10 rebounds. He reached the 1,000 career point mark in the second half. Lee Skinner also had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Panthers were led by Adam Weary with 22 points. High Point won the first meeting between the teams this season 66-56 on November 24, but has now lost seven straight games.
"This is three straight games holding the opponent to under 40% from the field and that will win you games," said head coach Mike Young. "It was a team effort on defense tonight that made it happen. I am proud to be a part of it as they played their guts out again and were good on both ends of the floor. We are developing more depth and can go to the bench with great confidence that the level will not dip. We have 48 hours to dial it up and head into January and the Southern Conference schedule. I feel good heading into league play with the way this team is playing."
The Terriers scored first with a lay-up by Justin Gordon. After High Point took a 4-2 lead, Wofford tied the game with a lay-up from Lee Skinner. The Panthers had an 8-4 lead after five minutes of play. Karl Cochran hit a three at the 13:15 mark for an 8-7 score. C.J. Neumann tied the game at ten with a lay-up and free throw with 12:30 on the clock. The Terries took a 13-10 lead on a lay-up and free throw less than a minute later.
A lay-up by C.J. Neumann, a three by Eric Garcia, and lay-up by Lee Skinner made it a 20-10 lead for the Terriers. After the Panthers ended the 15-0 run, Wofford answered with a three by Eric Garcia for a 25-12 lead. High Point added a bucket, but Eric Garcia responded with another three to make it a 28-14 game with 6:40 remaining in the first half. Karl Cochran had a long jumper for a 32-15 lead two minutes later. A pair of free throws by Eric Garcia and an easy lay-up by Lee Skinner made it a 36-15 game with less than two minutes left in the half. A fast-break lay-up by Jaylen Allen gave the Terriers a 38-15 advantage with 40 seconds on the clock. The Panthers had the final shot of the half, but the rebound went to Wofford for a 23-point lead at the break.
Wofford opened the second half with a Karl Cochran lay-up off an in-bounds play from Spencer Collins for a 40-15 lead. High Point scored the next five points to cut the score to 40-20 two minutes into the half. Lee Skinner added a lay-up for a 43-20 lead, but the Panthers score the next four points. Karl Cochran answered with a three to make it a 46-24 game after five minutes. The Panthers responded with the next six points to cut the lead to 48-30 at the 13:05 mark, but Spencer Collins had a lay-up to keep the lead at 20 after eight minutes.
Spencer Collins added a lay-up on a fast break for a 52-30 lead with 11:04 left in the second half. Lee Skinner gave the Terriers a 54-31 advantage before the Panthers answered with the next four points. At the 8:29 mark, two free throws by Lee Skinner made it a 56-35 game. A three pointer by Karl Cochran gave the Terriers a 59-35 lead with 7:45 left on the clock. At the 5:35 mark, another three by Karl Cochran pushed the score to 64-37. Cochran scored his 1,000th career point to give Wofford a 66-39 lead. A fifth three pointer by Karl Cochran gave the Terriers a 73-45 advantage with under four minutes to play. A put-back by C.J. Neumann made it a 75-52 game and a bucket and free throw by Jaylen Allen gave Wofford a 78-52 lead with 1:07 left. A three pointer by Zac Grossenbacher with 16 seconds remaining gave the Terriers the 81-53 final margin of victory.
Wofford shot 53.4% from the floor while High Point shot 28.6% overall. The Terriers were 9-of-24 from with three, while the Panthers were 2-of-15 from behind the arc. High Point was 19-of-29 from the line while Wofford was 10-of-14 on free throws. Wofford had a 44 to 28 lead on the glass and had 22 assists. Justin Gordon fouled out with 4:12 left in the second half.
It marked the third straight game the Terrier defense limited an opponent to under 40% from the floor. Wofford shot over 50% in a game for the fourth time this season, all wins. Karl Cochran becomes the 43rd Wofford player to reach the 1,000 point mark. He has 1,003 points in 77 career games. Cochran's double-double was the second of his career (16 points, 12 rebounds vs. UNCG 2/9/13).
The Terriers, playing three games in six days, will open Southern Conference play at Samford on Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. ET. Wofford returns home on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. for Davidson's final visit to Benjamin Johnson Arena as a member of the SoCon.
