Box Score Game Box (pdf)
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Wofford men's basketball team won 74-64 at Georgia Southern on Thursday night at Hanner Fieldhouse. A 10-0 run in the first half by the Terriers built a nine-point lead at the half. Wofford led by as many as 17 in the second half before the Eagles were able to cut it to six with a minute left in the game. Karl Cochran was 4-of-4 from the line in the final minute as the Terriers earned the road win.
Wofford is 9-10 on the season and 4-3 in the Southern Conference. Georgia Southern is 9-11 overall and 2-3 in league play. The Terriers were led by Karl Cochran with 25 points. Spencer Collins had 18 points, while Eric Garcia had a career-high 15 points. Lee Skinner was just shy of the double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. The Eagles were led by Jelani Hewitt with 18 points.
"We had a few big marks that we wanted to hit in the game and we missed on one," said head coach Mike Young. "They lead the league in getting to the foul line, averaging 25 a game. They got 25 tonight and we wanted to hold them to around 15 so we missed that one. With this bunch they are averaging ten made threes a game and we held them to five. We competed on the glass and held them to 30% from the floor in the first half. Our team defense was great tonight. To come in here and take care of the basketball was impressive. We will take any road win we can get and it was a significant win."
The Eagles opened the game with a three pointer. A bucket by Lee Skinner and a three by Karl Cochran gave the Terriers a 5-3 lead two minutes into the game. Another three by the Eagles gave them the advantage, but Wofford had a 9-8 lead with a jumper by Spencer Collins at the 15:32 mark. Justin Gordon pushed the Wofford lead to 13-8 with a lay-up. Lee Skinner had a bucket to make it a 17-12 game, but the Eagles added a three pointer for a 17-15 score with 10:12 left in the first half.
A jumper just inside the three point arc by Eric Garcia gave Wofford a 21-15 advantage with 9:02 on the clock in the first half. The Eagles scored the next five points to cut the lead to 21-20 at the 5:33 mark. A jumper by Karl Cochran with 4:23 left on the clock gave the Terriers a 25-22 lead. After the Eagles made it a one point game, Eric Garcia hit a three and then hit a lay-up and the free throw for a 31-24 lead. A dunk by Justin Gordon after an Eagle turnover gave Wofford a 33-24 lead with ninety seconds left in the half. Karl Cochran push the Wofford run to 10-0 before the Eagles hit a pair of free throws with 46 seconds on the clock. At the half, the Terriers had a 35-26 advantage.
To open the second half, Eric Garcia hit a jumper for a 37-26 lead. After the teams traded three pointers, Karl Cochran added a bucket for a 42-31 advantage after three minutes of play. The Eagles score the next three points to make it an eight-point game, but the Terriers scored seven straight and had a 49-34 lead after a three pointer by Karl Cochran. A lay-up and free throw by Karl Cochran made it a 52-36 score and a three pointer by Eric Garcia gave the Terriers a 56-40 lead with 12:53 on the clock.
After Karl Cochran gave Wofford a 58-41 lead, the Eagles scored the next five points for a 58-46 score with 10:27 left in the second half. The Terriers responded with a dunk by C.J. Neumann and a three pointer by Karl Cochran for a 63-46 lead less than a minute later. Wofford was up 67-52 before the Eagles went on a 9-2 run and cut the score to 69-61 with just over three minutes left in the second half. The lead was 70-63 for Wofford with two minutes remaining. With a minute left the Eagles hit a free throw to make it a two possession game, but Karl Cochran made four straight free throws for the 74-64 final score.
Wofford shot 50.0% from the floor. Georgia Southern was held to 41.2% overall. The Terriers were 6-of-12 from with three, while the Eagles were 5-of-18 from behind the arc. Georgia Southern was 17-of-25 from the line while Wofford was 14-of-20 on free throws. The Eagles had a 33 to 31 advantage on the glass. Wofford had seven turnovers, while Georgia Southern had 12 and only three assists. Justin Gordon fouled out with 3:09 left in the game.
The game marked the final trip to Statesboro for the Terriers, as Georgia Southern leaves the Southern Conference to join the Sun Belt. The teams will meet again on February 6 in Spartanburg.
A game at Furman on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. will complete Wofford's stretch of four games in eight days.
