Box Score Game Box (pdf)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Down twelve in the second half, the Wofford men's basketball team cranked up the offense and defense to defeat Georgia Southern 74-61 on Thursday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena. The Eagles had a 14-2 run in the first half to build a 35-27 lead at the break. With the score 52-40 with 12:43 remaining, the Terriers closed out the game with a 34-9 run for the win.
Wofford is 12-10 on the season and 7-3 in the Southern Conference. Georgia Southern is 11-13 overall and 4-5 in league play. The Terriers have won five straight games and are in third place in the SoCon standings. Wofford was led by Karl Cochran with 29 points, one shy of his career-high. Spencer Collins added 19 points, while Lee Skinner had a double-double with 13 rebounds and 11 points. The Eagles were led by Jelani Hewitt with 21 points.
"The Eagles came in here with a good plan and did a nice job with us," said head coach Mike Young. "We were back on our heels and Georgia Southern had a lot to do with that. We were passive and easy to guard and consequently we shot 38% in the first half. They outplayed us and we were lucky not to be down more at the half. At the 15-minute mark it flipped and we got some wind under our sails. We were more aggressive and looked like our team. We guarded them well in the second half to hold them to 30% and that is a real credit to our guys. Karl Cochran is a great player and over the past couple of months has been terrific on offense and defense. The flurry he had with two threes in a row was off the charts. That is what great players do and he was a great one tonight."
The Terriers opened the game with a dunk by Karl Cochran. After four minutes of play, the Eagles had a 6-3 lead. Wofford cut the lead to 8-7 with a bucket by Jaylen Allen at 13:26, but the Eagles pushed the score to 10-7 with 12:41 on the clock. Lee Skinner made it a one-point game with a bucket, but a Georgia Southern three pointer gave them a 13-9 lead. Karl Cochran then hit a three for a 13-12 score at the 10:23 mark.
With nine minutes left in the half, a dunk by Justin Gordon off a turnover gave the Terriers a 14-13 lead. After a bucket and free throw by Jelani Hewitt, Wofford tied the score at 16 with a long jumper by Karl Cochran with 8:22 on the clock. With the score tied at 18, the teams traded three pointers for a 21-21 game. Karl Cochran dunked a rebound for a 23-21 lead, but the Eagles scored the next six points to take a 27-23 lead with four minutes left in the second half. Lee Skinner ended the run with a lay-up, but the Eagles pushed the lead to 35-25 with 1:48 to play. Lee Skinner stopped an 8-0 run with a bucket for a 35-27 score at the half.
Wofford scored to begin the second half on a lay-up by Aerris Smith. The Eagles used a 7-0 run for a 44-31 lead at the 17:23 mark. Karl Cochran hit a three pointer for a 44-34 score. A lay-up by Karl Cochran kept it a ten-point game at 46-36 at 16:22. With 14:58 on the clock, Justin Gordon hit a pair of free throws to cut it to 46-38. The Eagles had a 52-41 advantage before Lee Skinner added a bucket for a 52-43 score at the 11:25 mark. Spencer Collins scored back-to-back baskets for a 52-47 game with 10:06 remaining.
A pair of free throws by Spencer Collins made it a 52-49 score at the 8:25 mark of the second half. A bucket and free throw by Collins tied the game at 54 with 7:18 remaining. After Karl Cochran gave the Terriers a one-point lead, he hit a three pointer to make it 59-55 with five minutes left in the half. Cochran drained another three pointer, which was followed by a three from Jaylen Allen for a 65-55 lead with three minutes remaining. After a bucket by the Eagles, Lee Skinner put back a missed free throw for a 68-57 lead with 2:21 left in the game. The Terriers added free throws and a lay-up by Karl Cochran down the stretch for the 74-61 final score.
Wofford shot 50.0% from the floor, including 64% in the second half. Georgia Southern was held to 42.6% overall and only 30.8% in the second half. The Terriers were 6-of-17 from with three, while the Eagles were 4-of-17 from behind the arc. Georgia Southern was 11-of-18 from the line while Wofford was 12-of-17 on free throws. The Terriers had a 37 to 31 lead on the glass.
In the final regular season meeting between the two teams as members of the Southern Conference, Wofford took a 24-23 lead in the all-time series. The double-double for Lee Skinner was his seventh this season and 15th of his career. Karl Cochran moved up five spots on the career scoring list and is now 23rd overall with 1,201 points.
The Terriers will travel to Charleston on Saturday night for a contest at The Citadel before returning home on Tuesday night for a non-conference game against Hiwassee.
