Box Score Game Box (pdf)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford men's basketball team was defeated 63-60 by the College of William and Mary at Benjamin Johnson Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Terriers were down one and had a shot to win in the final seconds, but the Tribe got the rebound and added a pair of free throws to secure the victory.
Wofford is 3-5 to open the season and William & Mary is 5-4. The Terriers were led by Spencer Collins with 15 points and Jaylen Allen with 13 points. Lee Skinner added eleven rebounds and nine points for Wofford. Tim Rusthoven led the Tribe with 17 points and seven rebounds.
"William and Mary was just a little bit better than us today," said head coach Mike Young. "We played well enough to win. Unfortunately for us the team in green was pretty well coached and had good players as well and got us by a couple. We have to keep rolling here in preparation for Saint Louis next Saturday."
The Terriers scored first on a lay-up by Jaylen Allen, but the Tribe were able to take a 6-4 lead after four minutes of play. William and Mary hit a three pointer with 13:06 on the clock for a 9-4 advantage, but Jaylen Allen responded with a three for a 9-7 score. The Tribe scored the next six points for a 15-7 lead at the ten minute mark. With 8:10 left in the first half, Wofford trailed 17-10 after a lay-up by Aerris Smith.
A pair of free throws by Lee Skinner made it a 19-12 game with 6:38 left in the first half. Skinner added two more points and a free throw by C.J. Neumann cut the lead to 19-15 with just over five minutes remaining. The run went to 7-0 for the Terriers until a dunk by Marcus Thornton pushed the lead to 21-17. Indiana Faithfull added a pair of free throws to tie the game at 21 with 2:37 on the clock, but the Tribe answered with a three pointer. With sixty seconds left, Karl Cochran had a lay-up to tie the contest at 27. Neither team could take the lead before the horn sounded for the half.
Spencer Collins opened the scoring in the second half with a three pointer for a 30-27 lead. The Tribe answered with a three, but two free throws gave the Terriers an advantage. William and Mary scored the next four points, but Karl Cochran tied it at 34 after four minutes of play. A three by Kyle Gaillard gave the Tribe a 40-36 lead at 14:55. Karl Cochran hit a three from the corner to regain the lead at 41-40 for the Terriers. After a huge block by C.J. Neumann, Jaylen Allen hit a jumper for a 43-40 advantage with 12:22 remaining in the second half.
The Tribe tied the game at 45 after a lay-up and free throw by Omar Prewitt with 10:47 on the clock in the second half. After William and Mary took a lead, Spencer Collins tied it at 47 with a lay-up. The Tribe pushed the lead to 52-48 with 6:15 remaining in the half. A dunk by Karl Cochran off a turnover made it a 52-50 score at 5:43. After cutting the lead to 53-52, the Tribe scored the next four points for a 57-52 advantage with 2:50 left in the half.
Wofford answered with a lay-up by C.J. Neumann and a three by Spencer Collins for tie game at 57 with 1:36 on the clock. The Tribe had a four point lead with 35 seconds remaining A lay-up and free throw by Indiana Faithfull made it a 61-60 game at the 31.6 mark. Wofford forced a turnover, but the shot by Jaylen Allen with five seconds left was rebounded by the Tribe. Two free throws by William and Mary with 1.6 seconds left provided the 63-60 final margin.
Wofford shot 38.2% from the floor while William & Mary shot 56.1% overall. The Terriers were 4-of-13 from with three, while the Tribe was 4-of-12 from behind the arc. William & Mary was 13-of-22 from the line while Wofford was 14-of-18 on free throws. Wofford had a 35 to 26 lead on the glass.
Wofford will take a week off for exams before returning to action on Saturday, December 14, at Saint Louis.
