SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Led by four in double figures, the Wofford men's basketball team used a strong second half to put away MAAC preseason favorite Iona, 86-73, Tuesday morning at Benjamin Johnson Arena.
Wofford overcame Iona's hot first half in which the Gaels scored 42 points and made seven made threes. The Terriers went shot for shot to trail by just three at the break.
A gutsy defensive effort saw Wofford hold the Gaels to just 37.5 percent from the floor in the second half. The Terriers shot above 50 percent and used a 22-8 run that lasted nearly 10 minutes to turn a two-point game into a blowout. Wofford shot 6-of-11 from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes and outscored the Iona 47-31.
Senior Karl Cochran scored 20 points to lead a group of four Terriers (1-1) that finished in double figures. Fellow senior Lee Skinner dropped 15 on 6-of-7 shooting to go with nine rebounds. Junior Justin Gordon had 13 points (6-9 FG) and sophomore Jaylen Allen went 3-of-5 from long distance to finish with 11.
For Iona (1-1), David Laury posted a game-high 23 points and A.J. English had 22.
The Terriers impressed on a national stage. The game tipped at 7 a.m. as part of ESPN's College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon with 3,014 in attendance.
"We can't thank all the fans enough," said 13th-year head coach Mike Young. "To provide that kind of atmosphere on a national stage was incredible. I speak for the entire coaching staff and our players when I say that was truly a pleasure to be a part of."
It was an all-around effort as nine different Terriers found the scoring column and nine more contributed with at least one rebound. Wofford finished with 11 offensive boards, leading to an 18-1 advantage in second-chance points.
"I'm so proud of the effort and contributions made by everybody that stepped on the floor," added Young. "Iona is a very good team. To get a win like that this early in the season and play such great defense in the second half is a huge step in the right direction for us."
The Terriers ended the game shooting 53.6 percent, including 9-of-17 (52.9 pct.) from beyond the arc. After going 13-for-23 in the first 20 minutes, Iona wound up at 46.8 percent (22-47 FG).
Wofford donned new gold uniforms for its first home game of the season. Trailing 11-10, Cochran pulled up for three and Allen pick-pocketed Iona's Kelvin Amayo, finding Gordon for a jumper to go in front by four.
The Terriers were on top for nearly 10 minutes and took their biggest lead of the half on a spin-around jumper from Cochran, 21-15. Grant Ellis hit a triple at the 4:45 mark to tie the game at 27. The Gaels then used a 7-0 run to go in front 34-30, capped by another Ellis three.
Both sides went shot for shot through the opening half's final minutes. At one point they combined to go 9-for-9 with the Gaels holding the edge heading into the locker rooms.
Cochran led all scorers with 12 at the break. Teammates Gordon and Skinner each had nine. Laury headed Iona's effort with 11, followed by English with 10.
Wofford came out firing in the second half. They scored the first five points to quickly take a lead off a Cochran 3-pointer and Collins jumper.
It was back-and-forth for the next five minutes until Wofford senior John Swinton hit a big 3-pointer that gave the Terriers a 55-52 lead.
Wofford never trailed again. Ahead by four, Gordon got the Benjamin Johnson Arena crowd energized. Collins took a fadeaway with the shot clock expiring. It missed, but
Gordon cleaned up with a thunderous two-handed, putback slam.
Three minutes later,
Allen sent another charge through the arena with a triple to put the Terriers up double digits. The lead grew to as many as 18 with Wofford up 84-66 with 2:41 remaining.
The Terriers head to Fairfield, Conn. for their next three games this Friday-Sunday. Wofford will take on Fairfield, South Dakota and Sam Houston State in sub-regional play of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Their first game is Friday at 7 p.m. against the host Stags.
Postgame Notes:- Freshman Cam Jackson scored his first collegiate points with two made free throws at the 5:16 mark of the first half. He followed with his first made field goal less than a minute late.
- Wofford defeated Iona after falling to the Gaels 76-55 last year in New Rochelle, N.Y. The series is now even at 1-1.
- Karl Cochran climbed to 14th on Wofford's all-time scoring list (1,415), passing Trap Hart (1,401) and Boyce Berry (1,412).
- Both Wofford and Iona were selected as preseason favorites in their respective conferences.
- 3,014 were in attendance at Benjamin Johnson Arena, marking the largest crowd in over five years.
