MACON, Ga. – Junior Spencer Collins scored a career-high 26 points and Wofford clinched the No. 1 seed in the Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament by defeating Mercer, 76-72, Thursday night at Hawkins Arena.
 
The victory also earns the Terriers no less than a share of their third SoCon Regular Season Championship. Wofford (24-6, 15-2 SoCon) leads Chattanooga (14-3 SoCon) by a game and can clinch the regular season crown outright by defeating Furman in the regular season finale on Saturday.
 
Wofford pushed its lead to 10 with 2:48 left, but Mercer (16-14, 11-6 SoCon) tested the Terriers until the end. Four straight Bear points cut the lead to six and with 11.8 seconds left, Darius Moten hit from long range to make it a 3-point game.
 
Mercer fouled Terrier senior Lee Skinner, sending him to the line with 9.9 to play. Skinner made 1 of 2, hitting the second to make it a two-possession game, and Wofford walked away with the SoCon Tournament's top seed.
 
"I'm so proud of this team for getting the job done, especially in an environment like there was here tonight," said Wofford head coach Mike Young, who has led the Terriers to all three of their regular season championships. "I'd be a fool to say I didn't know the situation heading into this game. I tried to keep our guys focused on the task at hand, and that was getting another victory on the road against a very good team."
 
Wofford led by 10 points at the half, but Mercer stormed back, starting the second on a 9-0 run. Junior Justin Gordon briefly put a stop to it, until Jestin Lewis and Stephon Jelks scored on back-to-back possessions, giving the Bears their first lead of the game.
 
Coach Young never called timeout and the experienced Terriers settled in. Lee Skinner took control inside by scoring on consecutive possessions and Collins followed with a 3-pointer to put Wofford back in front by four.
 
"I didn't want to call time in that situation," said Young. "You do that and the crowd erupts even more. Our guys have been in this situation before and I know they can handle it. I wanted to let it play out, and this team showed the experience of champions."
 
Collins finished the night 7-of-11 shooting, 4-of-6 from three and 8-of-9 at the foul line. The Easley, S.C. native surpassed his previous career-high of 24 points on a triple with 3:30 left.
 
Skinner scored 15 points and Cochran finished with 13 to round out a trio of double-figure scorers. Cochran also made history, knocking down the 300th 3-pointer of his career to set a new school record. On top of that, the senior added six assists, four rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Skinner complemented with four assists and a pair of steals.
 
The Terriers outshot Mercer 54.5 percent to exactly 50 percent. Wofford was also an impressive 9-of-18 from long range.
 
Wofford jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the opening five minutes. Collins scored the first five Terrier points and Wofford started the game 7-of-10 from the field.
 
Mercer scored seven straight over a four-minute span as the Terriers began to cool down. It tied the game at 16, but Wofford never gave up the lead.
 
Ahead by three, the Terriers put together an 11-0 run. Consecutive 3-pointers by senior John Swinton and Collins got it started, followed by buckets inside from Skinner and Cochran. It put Wofford in front 34-20 with a little more than a minute before intermission.
 
The Terriers went into the half ahead 35-25. Collins had a dozen to lead all scorers, followed closely by nine from Skinner. Wofford was an impressive 58 percent from the field and had just three turnovers, while the Bears sat at 39 percent with five turnovers.
 
After committing just three turnovers in the first 20 minutes, Wofford suffered three in opening three minutes of the second half. The third led to a bucket for Moten, completing Mercer's 9-0 run to quickly make it a one-point game.
 
Two more turnovers followed, making for five in the half's first five minutes. Mercer took advantage and went on top for the first time all night, 39-37.
 
Wofford responded and did so without Coach Young burning a timeout. The Terriers went back in front by as many as five when Swinton poked the ball from T.J. Hallice, beating him to the loose ball and driving the length of the floor to finish, putting Wofford in front 47-42.
 
The Bears did not go away. They scored 10 of the game's next 12 points to take just their second lead and remained in front, 55-52, with 6:50 left.
 
Once more, in a raucous environment, Coach Young's team kept its composure and answered. Five free throws got Wofford back in front and Cochran extended the lead to five with another triple. It led to a 17-4 run that Collins completed by draining a three that put the Terriers in front by 10 with 3:32 remaining.
Mercer stuck the Terriers at the line in an attempt to get back in it. Wofford was good enough, going 5-of-8 in the final 1:39 to hang on and celebrate.
 
Wofford wraps up the regular season on Saturday against Furman in Greenville. Tip is set for 4 p.m. from Timmons Arena.
 
Wofford Notes:
- Wofford earned at least a share of its third Southern Conference Regular Season Championship (2009-10, 2010-11, 2014-15). The Terriers can take the title outright with either a win on Saturday at Furman or a Chattanooga loss at UNCG.
- Wofford earned the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament, presented by General Shale.
- Wofford tied a school record for most SoCon wins in a season with its 15th.
- Head coach Mike Young earned his 213th career victory, moving into a tie for eighth place with Les Robinson for most coaching wins in the SoCon.
- Karl Cochran broke Ian Chadwick's (1997-2001) program record for career 3-pointers. Cochran hit his 300th at the 5:30 mark of the first half.
- It was Wofford's first victory in Macon, Georgia since 1964. The Terriers were 0-4 in their last four meetings at Mercer.
- Wofford's 24-6 overall record is its best through 30 games in program history.
- The Terriers improved to 21-18 in the all-time series vs. Mercer and have now won three straight.