BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Senior Karl Cochran went for 10 points and 10 rebounds and the Wofford men's basketball team shot 60 percent in the second half to cruise by Fairfield, 54-36, Friday night in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Webster Bank Arena.
 
Wofford (2-1) never trailed, holding the Stags to just 12 first-half points on 12 turnovers and 4-of-20 shooting. The Terrier defense held true in the second half. Fairfield went without a field goal for 16:14, not scoring a second-half basket until the 7:16 mark.
 
A 14-1 run blew the game open. Five different Terriers scored through a five-minute span, led by five points from sophomore Eric Garcia. Garcia and Cochran each buried a 3-pointer during the run, with Cochran's putting Wofford comfortably in front 40-20.
 
Junior Justin Gordon led all scorers with 11 points, going for nine in the final 20 minutes. The 6-foot-6 forward finished the evening 5-of-7 shooting. Cochran went 4-of-10, including 2-of-5 from deep, adding two assists and a steal.
 
Wofford also got nine points from junior Spencer Collins and eight apiece from senior Lee Skinner and sophomore Eric Garcia. Garcia ran the point well, tying his career-high with six assists. Skinner was a force on the glass with eight boards.
 
The Terriers struggled offensively at just 31 percent in the opening half, but shot 15-of-25 in the second to run away with it.
 
"You're going to have nights like that, especially on the road," said head coach Mike Young. "The only way you sustain yourself and get out of the building with a win is to be committed to defending and rebounding – not just in the game, but every day in practice. We left some things on the table offensively, but we played well on the defensive end in limiting them to one shot."
 
After an 18-1 advantage in second chance points Tuesday against Iona, the Terriers finished the evening with a 12-4 edge against Fairfield. Wofford also held a 32-14 advantage in the paint.
 
For the Stags, Marcus Gilbert scored 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting and 4-of-6 at the line. Amadou Sidibe had a team-high nine boards.
 
After a few empty possessions to start the game for both sides, Garcia hit a trey from the baseline to give the Terriers the first lead. Buckets by freshmen Cameron Jackson and Derrick Brooks followed, and a dunk by Gordon pushed Wofford ahead 9-4.
 
Fairfield started 1-of-10 from the floor with eight turnovers before Tyler Nelson ended the drought at the 8:43 mark. Still, the game was close. Wofford was going through its own offensive struggles and Nelson's basket brought the deficit to just three points.
 
The Terriers began to find their rhythm and extended the lead. Cochran led the charge, getting fouled on the way to the rim and scoring seven straight Wofford points. Collins followed with a mid-range jumper and the Terriers led 18-10 with four minutes before the half.
 
Eight points remained the margin at the break. Fairfield came in shooting 4-of-20 (20 pct.) while Wofford was 9-of-29 (31 pct.). The Stags had double the amount of turnovers (12-6) with the help of three Terrier steals.
 
Skinner came out of the locker room on fire, scoring the first six Terrier points to double-up the lead at 26-13. He started out with a layup off an inside pass from Cochran and then pulled up for back-to-back 12-footers from the left wing.
 
Foul trouble was the only thing keeping Fairfield in the game. Wofford committed its seventh foul of the half less than seven minutes in and the Stags scored their first 10 points from the charity stripe. Two by Sidibe brought the Terrier lead back to seven.
 
The 14-1 run followed. Gordon heated up late, accounting for nine of Wofford's final 13 points. A two-handed slam took all the energy out of the arena with five minutes to play, as the Terriers moved above .500 on the young season.
 
The Wofford men's basketball team continues the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on Saturday when it takes on South Dakota at 5 p.m. from Webster Bank Arena.
 
Postgame Notes:
- Fairfield's 12 first-half points were the fewest for a Wofford opponent since Nov. 13, 2007, when the Terriers led Lees-McRae 42-10 at the break.
- Karl Cochran registered his third career double-double and first of the season.
- The game was played at Fairfield's Webster Bank Arena, serving as a sub-regional host of the 2014 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.
- It was the first all-time meeting between Wofford and Fairfield.