Box Score Game Box (pdf)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford men's basketball team used a 20-0 run in the first half to build a lead on the way to a 70-50 win over Furman on Thursday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena. The win was the ninth-straight for the Terriers.
Wofford is 16-10 on the season and 10-3 in the Southern Conference to sit tied for second place in the standings. Furman is 8-18 overall and 2-11 in league play. Wofford was led by Karl Cochran with 23 points and five assists, while Eric Garcia and Spencer Collins both had nine points. Furman had 14 points from Keith Belfield and 13 from Stephen Croone.
"I knew that Furman was going to be prepared and we were excited to play," said head coach Mike Young. "We did a great job defensively in the first half which helped our offense. The shot selection in the first half was dead-on. It was a very good first half, but not as good in the second half. Eighteen assists and nine turnovers are good numbers and we outrebounded them, so all-in-all pretty good numbers on both ends."
The Paladins scored first, but Wofford answered with a three pointer by Karl Cochran. The rim gave Cochran a friendly bounce on his second three pointer as Wofford had a 6-4 lead after five minutes of play. A dunk by Justin Gordon and lay-up by John Swinton gave the Terriers a 10-4 advantage at the 12:17 mark. Spencer Collins pushed the run to 9-0 with a 12-4 lead less than a minute later.
A three pointer and lay-up by Karl Cochran, plus back-to-back buckets by Justin Gordon made it a 21-4 lead for Wofford with 9:16 left in the first half. The run went to 20-0 with a pair of free throws by Spencer Collins before Furman hit a three pointer for a 23-7 score. A lay-up by C.J. Neumann with six minutes left in the half gave Wofford a 27-7 advantage. After a bucket and free throw by Furman, Eric Garcia hit a lay-up with 3:46 on the clock for a 29-10 lead. A three pointer by Karl Cochran gave the Terriers a 33-10 lead. After four straight points by Furman, Karl Cochran spun through the lane for a lay-up and a 36-14 lead. Furman scored the last three points of the half for a 36-17 margin at the break.
Furman opened the second half with a three pointer, but Wofford answered with a lay-up by Karl Cochran for a 38-20 lead. Four straight points by Furman cut the score to 38-24 at 17:32 in the second half. Wofford answered with four straight for a 42-24 advantage a minute later. Furman hit a three, but Jaylen Allen responded with a three for the Terriers and a 45-27 advantage. The Paladins chipped away at the lead and made it a 49-34 game after seven minutes of play.
Lee Skinner hit a fade-away jumper for a 54-36 Wofford lead at the 10:28 mark of the second half. A long jumper by Spencer Collins gave the Terriers a 56-39 advantage less than a minute later. Furman scored the next five points and made it a 56-44 game with seven minutes remaining. C.J. Neumann made a lay-up for a 58-44 lead on the next possession. After a pair of free throws by the Paladins, Eric Garcia hit a three from the corner and Lee Skinner had an easy lay-up for a 63-46 score with 5:33 left in the game. With 2:25 on the clock, Eric Garcia made a lay-up and added a free throw for a 67-48 lead. At 1:14, Karl Cochran hit an open three pointer for a 70-48 score. The Paladins hit the last bucket of the game for a 70-50 final.
Wofford shot 50.0% from the floor and Furman was 39.5% overall. The Terriers were 7-of-13 from with three, while the Paladins were 3-of-14 from behind the arc. Furman was 13-of-21 from the line while Wofford was 11-of-17 on free throws. The Terriers had a 35 to 28 lead on the glass. The Paladins had 15 turnovers and Wofford had 20 points off those turnovers. The Terriers had 18 assists and only nine turnovers in the game. A season-high home crowd of 1,712 were in attendance at Benjamin Johnson Arena.
Following road games at Davidson on Saturday and Elon on Thursday, the final regular season game for Wofford will be Saturday, March 1 against UNCG at Benjamin Johnson Arena. Wofford has secured a bye for the Southern Conference Tournament and will begin postseason play on Saturday, March 8, in Asheville.
