Box Score Game Box (pdf)
BOONE, N.C. – The Wofford men's basketball team picked up a 64-58 win over Appalachian State on Saturday afternoon at the Holmes Center. The Mountaineers closed the first half with a 7-0 run to take a 36-31 lead at the break. The Terrier defense came to play in the second half as Wofford outscored the Mountaineers by eleven for the victory.
Wofford is 15-10 on the season and 9-3 in the Southern Conference to sit in third place in the standings. It was the eighth-straight win for the Terriers, who are also 5-1 on the road in SoCon play. Appalachian State is 8-17 overall and 4-8 in league play. Wofford was led by Lee Skinner with 17 points and nine rebounds, while Spencer Collins added 12 points. The Mountaineers were led by Tevin Baskins with 13 points.
"They had won four of the last seven games and we had some concerns coming into the game," said head coach Mike Young. "We got a good punch from Appalachian State, but we handled it. I feel fortunate to come out of here with a win. I think both teams played well. We were a little lethargic in the first half and we did not have our zip. For App State to shoot 63% in the first half on our defense was discouraging. In typical fashion of our team, we found our groove and started to play the game the right way. We had some guys step up and make some big plays for us."
The Mountaineers scored first, but a bucket and a pair of free throws by Lee Skinner gave Wofford a 4-2 lead two minutes into play. A Karl Cochran jumper was answered by a pair of Appalachian State free throws for a 6-6 game at the 15:51 mark. The score was tied at eight and ten, before Karl Cochran hit a three pointer for a 13-12 Terrier lead with 12:25 on the clock. Appalachian State led 16-14 before a free throw and dunk by Karl Cochran gave Wofford a 17-16 advantage with nine minutes to play in the half. A dunk by C.J. Neumann made it a 19-16 game a minute later.
Wofford took a 21-18 lead on a shot by Spencer Collins, but the Mountaineers tied it at 21 with six minutes left in the half. Justin Gordon had four straight points for the Terriers for a 27-25 lead with 3:52 on the clock. Four straight points by the Mountaineers gave them a 29-27 advantage. A put-back by C.J. Neumann along with a pair of free throws by Spencer Collins made it a 31-29 lead with 1:54 remaining in the half. Appalachian State answered with four straight for a 33-31 advantage with 46 seconds on the clock. A three pointer at the buzzer by Tad Hamilton gave the Mountaineers a 36-31 lead that the half.
The Terriers opened the second half with a shot by Lee Skinner. Appalachian State held a 40-35 lead after four minutes of play. A shot by Spencer Collins cut it to a three-point game. A bucket by C.J. Neumann and a three by John Swinton gave Wofford a 42-40 lead with 11:45 on the clock. Appalachian State ended the 7-0 run with a pair of free throws to tie the game at 42. After a tie at 44, C.J. Neumann had a bucket and Eric Garcia drained a three for a 49-44 lead with eight minutes remaining.
Lee Skinner added two free throws as Wofford had a 51-46 lead with 7:20 left in the second half. A jumper by Lee Skinner pushed the lead to 54-48 a minute later. Justin Gordon had a couple tries under the basket before putting one in for a 56-49 advantage with 5:10 on the clock. The Mountaineers cut the lead to 57-53 with 3:29 remaining. A three pointed by Tab Hamilton with 1:57 left made it a 58-56 game. Lee Skinner put back a missed shot for a 60-56 lead with 86 seconds remaining. After the Mountaineers made it a two-point game, Spencer Collins hit a fade-away jumper for a 62-58 score with 34 seconds left. The Mountaineers missed on their next possession and Wofford had the rebound. Spencer Collins added two free throws with 15 on the clock to provide the final 64-58 margin of victory.
Wofford shot 45.3% from the floor and Appalachian State was 51.4% overall. The Terriers were 3-of-8 from with three, while the Mountaineers were 2-of-4 from behind the arc. Appalachian State was 18-of-26 from the line while Wofford was 13-of-21 on free throws. The Terriers had a 30 to 24 lead on the glass. The Mountaineers had 16 turnovers and Wofford had 21 points off those turnovers. The Terriers had 14 assists and only ten turnovers in the game. There were 9 lead changes and 14 ties in the contest. Justin Gordon fouled out with 3:29 left in the game.
The Terriers will return home on Thursday night to host Furman at 7:00 p.m. Following road games at Davidson and Elon, the final regular season game will be Saturday, March 1 against UNCG at Benjamin Johnson Arena.
