SPARTANBURG, S.C. – A late 16-5 run propelled the men's basketball team to a 4-0 start in Southern Conference play, defeating Samford for the second time in eight days, 72-62, Saturday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena.
 
Wofford trailed for over 24 minutes before taking the lead for good with consecutive baskets by junior C.J. Neumann and senior Lee Skinner. Junior Spencer Collins took care of the rest, scoring 10 of his 16 points through the final five minutes. His last shot of the night was a 3-ball that put Wofford up 67-55 with just over a minute to play.
 
Collins shot 6-of-10 and finished with his largest scoring output since Nov. 29 against William & Mary. Senior Karl Cochran scored a game-high 17 on 6-of-12 shooting. Most of his damage came from three, where he finished 5-of-10. He and Neumann shared the game-high of seven rebounds.
 
The Terriers (13-4, 4-0 SoCon) have won their first four Southern Conference games for the first time in program history, and are 7-0 at home for the first time in 21 seasons.
 
"It's exciting, but we have a long way to go," said head coach Mike Young. "I thought Samford came in here tonight and played an awfully good basketball game. Again, we got a good shot from them, just like we did at their place."
 
Wofford opened the SoCon season last Saturday at the Pete Hanna Center, earning a 68-65 road win. Samford led by as many as six in the first half of that matchup, and Wofford had to overcome another strong start by the Bulldogs this time around as well.
 
Shot selection was key for the Terriers. They took just 44 shots, but registered their highest shooting percentage of the season of 59.1 percent (26-44). It included a 70-percent second half (14-20), which was too much for Samford to overcome.
 
Filling in for an injured Eric Garcia, senior John Swinton and freshman Derrick Brooks combined for five assists and just one turnover. Swinton got the starting nod, scoring three points from the free throw line in 21 minutes, while Brooks was 1-of-2 from the field with three assists in 22 minutes.
 
"John Swinton and Derrick Brooks did a fabulous job. I really thought they did some nice things and it's a testament to our team that guys can be ready to step in when they're called upon."
 
Swinton and Brooks were faced with a Samford team that uses the full-court press to force turnovers and create transition baskets. The senior-freshman duo was up for the task, as the Terriers ended the game with a 16-6 advantage in points off turnovers and 14-0 on the fast break.
 
Samford didn't need the press at the start. All of their jump shots were going in as the Bulldogs began the game 6-of-8 from the field and 7-of-8 from the foul line. It led to a 20-10 lead at the 11:36 mark.
 
Behind another enthusiastic crowd at Benjamin Johnson Arena, Wofford chipped away. A 3-pointer by Cochran and two free throws from Collins cut the lead in half, and six straight points later on from Brooks and junior Justin Gordon brought the game to a tie with 3:47 before the half.
 
"Our fans have been phenomenal," Young added. "The Spartanburg community has done a nice job of supporting our basketball team, and our students have been great as well. During interim, it can get dicey with students traveling, but the crowd in here on Thursday and again tonight was spectacular. I am most appreciative and I know our team is as well."
 
Wofford never quite grabbed a lead and Samford went into the locker room with a slight 32-31 edge. Neumann connected on both ends of a crucial 1-and-1 on Wofford's final possession, finishing the night with eight points, seven boards and a career-high three assists.
 
"I thought C.J. Neumann was really good on both ends of the floor," Young commented on his third-year forward. "He really adheres to the scouting report and knows exactly how we want to handle things."
 
Gordon was good on Wofford's first shot of the second half to earn the Terriers their first lead since 2-0, but Samford grabbed it right back. Evan Taylor hit a layup and Michael Bradley followed with three the old-fashioned way to bump the visitor's lead back to four.
 
Wofford clamped down on defense, holding Samford without a point for the next four minutes to go on a 7-0 run. Collins gave the Terriers the lead back with 12:29 left and Cochran followed with a big three that forced SU's head coach Scott Padgett to call a timeout.
 
Samford never led again. The closest the Bulldogs got was a tie at 48 with just over eight minutes left, before Wofford slammed the door for its fourth straight win.
 
The Terriers head to Charleston for their next contest, where they will take on The Citadel on Thursday at 6 p.m. from McAlister Fieldhouse.
 
Postgame Notes:
- Wofford is 4-0 in Southern Conference play for the first time in its history in the league (1997-98).
- Wofford is 7-0 at home for the first time since its Division II days in the 1993-94 campaign, when they opened 7-0 before a loss to West Georgia.
- Wofford's 13-4 overall record is also its best since the 1993-94 season.
- The Terriers earned a season sweep of the Bulldogs for the second straight year and now lead the all-time series 9-3.
- Neumann finished with a career-high three assists.
- Collins' 16 points puts him just 11 away from becoming the 45^th member of Wofford's 1,000-point club.
- Attendance was 1,883 at Benjamin Johnson Arena.