RALEIGH, N.C. – Junior Justin Gordon hit the winning bucket with 1.9 seconds to play and NC State's last-second shot was waved off as the Wofford men's basketball team rallied to stun the Wolfpack, 55-54, Sunday evening at Reynolds Coliseum.
 
Wofford inbounded the ball down a point with 6.7 on the clock. Junior Spencer Collins had an open look from 15 feet, but made the unselfish pass to Gordon at the rim to put the Terriers ahead.
 
NC State called time to set up the potential game-winning shot. Trevor Lacey caught the inbounds pass at half court, took one dribble and attempted 3-pointer at the buzzer that went in and triggered a raucous Wolfpack celebration.
 
It didn't count.
 
After a two-minute replay review, the officials waved off the basket, indicating Lacey's hands were still on the ball with the clock showing all zeros.
 
Wofford (8-2) could finally celebrate, handing NC State (8-2) its first loss in Reynolds Coliseum since 1999 – the Wolfpack were previously 14-0 since moving the majority of their home games to PNC Arena.
 
"Just an unbelievable effort from our guys all around," said 13th-year head coach Mike Young. "Make no mistake, this came down to our team playing great basketball. We were tough and unselfish and did a great job of rebounding and guarding some great players.
 
"Coach Gottfried has good players and good players make great plays. Fortunately for us, that last shot was taken after the horn sounded and we get out of here with a terrific win."
 
NC State led by as many as nine in the second half and took a 52-46 lead on a Lacey jumper with 3;27 to play.
 
Wofford called time and the Terriers drew up a play that left senior Karl Cochran open for three. It started a 7-0 run that ended with sophomore Eric Garcia hitting a 17-footer with 51.1 left, putting the Terriers in front for the first time since leading 15-14 at the 7:11 mark of the first half.
 
Lacey responded on NC State's ensuing possession to put the Wolfpack back on top. The Terriers then grabbed two offensive rebounds on their final possession, before Coach Young called time with 6.7 showing, setting up what proved to be the game winner.
 
"There were some great individual plays and performances," Young added. "The unselfish play from Spencer Collins to drop it down to Justin Gordon streaking to the basket was a sight to behold. It was the right play to pass up a good shot for a great shot. Those are the little things that help you get out of places such as this with wins and I'm awfully proud of our team."
 
The Terriers had nine offensive rebounds to just three for NC State, resulting in a 9-0 advantage in second chance points. Wofford also have away with seven steals and won the turnover battle 11-4, outscoring the Wolfpack 13-0 in points off turnovers.
 
Cochran led the Terriers in every statistical category. The Marietta, Georgia native had a team-high 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks, playing all but three minutes. Cochran's three rejections tied a career-high he last earned as a freshman.
 
Gordon, Collins and senior Lee Skinner all finished with six points. Garcia was the only other Terrier to reach double figures with 10 points, shooting 3-for-5 and hitting all four of his free throws.
 
The Terriers set a defensive tone from the start. Wofford scored the game's first six points before Lacey eventually put the Wolfpack on the board with over four minutes gone by.
 
Freshman Cam Jackson gave Wofford its biggest lead of the game, 10-4, with a bucket inside on his first shot of the game. Collins followed with a 3-pointer a few possessions later and after Skinner was good inside, Wofford led 15-10 at the 8:26 mark.
 
NC State was shooting just 3-for-11 (27.3 pct.) at the time, but turned it around quickly. The Wolfpack went on an 11-0 run over the next 2:08 to take a 21-15 lead.
 
Wofford regained its composure and withstood the run to trail by just five at the half. Cochran hit a baseline jumper at the horn, make it a five-point game, 33-28. The senior led all Terriers with six points, while Lacey headed the game with seven.
 
Much like the first, defensive play dominated the opening minutes of the second half. Both Wofford and NC State had scored just two points through the first five minutes, until the Wolfpack used 5-1 spurt to grab its biggest lead of nine points, 41-32.
 
Wofford never went down double digits and locked down on defense to claw back. Cochran led the charge, earning a pair of steals and three second-half blocks, including a big rejection on a fast break attempt by Anthony Barber.
 
Sophomore Jaylen Allen got the offense rebooted, hitting three with a hand in his face to cut the margin to 46-42. A few possessions later, Cochran came away with one of his steals and drove to the basket to cut the lead to only two points with 4:43 to play.
 
Wofford outscored NC State 9-2 through the final minutes.
 
The Terriers return home on Wednesday to take on Charleston Southern at Benjamin Johnson Arena. Tip is set for 7 p.m. and fans enter the arena for just $1.00 by purchasing their tickets online only.
 
Postgame Notes
- Wofford is off to its best 10-game start of the NCAA Div. I era, and best since starting 9-1 in 1993-94.
- The Terriers are 2-1 in their last three games against ACC opponents, defeating Wake Forest in 2011-12 and falling to Virginia in 2012-13.
- Wofford earned its first win over NC State in 80 years (1934-35 season), snapping the Wolfpack's eight-game series winning streak.
- Wofford handed NCSU its first loss at Reynolds Coliseum since March 18, 1999, when it fell to Providence in the second round of the NIT. It was also NC State's first loss in Reynolds since moving to PNC Arena in 1999-2000.
- Karl Cochran tied a career-high with three blocks, last achieving the mark as a freshman at Appalachian State (Feb. 12, 2012).
- Coach Young improved to 1-1 against Mark Gottfried. The two met in the 2007-08 season when Gottfried was the head coach at Alabama.