LEXINGTON, Va. – Wofford became the 13th team in Division I basketball to reach the 20-win plateau, surviving a furious rally from VMI to escape with the victory, 65-62, Saturday afternoon inside Cameron Hall.
 
The Terriers led by as many as 20 in the second half and still held a 14-point lead with 8:57 to play. VMI went on a 16-2 run and tied the game at 60 on a 3-pointer from Brian Brown with 1:15 remaining.
 
The Keydets never took the lead. After junior Spencer Collins put the Terriers back on top, senior Karl Cochran came up with the play of the game. He stole a pass from Julian Eleby and went down the floor all alone for the finger roll, pushing Wofford back in front by three.
 
Eleby turned the ball over again on VMI's next possession and the Keydets (8-16, 4-9 SoCon) fouled junior C.J. Neumann. A 62-percent free throw shooter, Neumann stepped up knocked down both ends of a 1-and-1 to make it a two-possession game and seal the win for Wofford (20-5, 11-1 SoCon).
 
"It was a good way for me to make up from the last game," said Neumann, who missed five free throws in Thursday's win at ETSU. "I knew VMI was going to foul and I was trying to get the ball up to Karl, but I didn't have a clear lane. I definitely didn't want to turn the ball over, so I took the foul. I'm always confident in my free throw shooting."
 
Neumann's clutch free throws helped Wofford earn it seventh straight win and 11th in the last 12 games. It also earned the Terriers' their fourth 20-win season of the Division I era and 12th in program history. All three times Wofford has won 20 games as a member of the Southern Conference, the Terriers have gone on to win the tournament crown.
 
"I'm just so proud of this team and 20 wins is such a big accomplishment," said head coach Mike Young, who has coached the Terriers to all four of their 20-win seasons in the Division I era. "They have tremendous composure and do all of the little things that help you win in such close games.
 
"CJ's free throws were absolutely huge. He does all the right things and he knows he can knock down those shots when we need them."
 
Not to get lost in the victory was some history for Cochran, who had four steals to tie Drew Gibson for the program's Division I career record. Gibson, who currently serves as the team's Director of Basketball Operations, had 213 in his career. He and Cochran now rank No. 3 all-time.
 
Cochran also had a good game everywhere else, securing his third double-double of the season. The senior guard scored a game-high 18 points and to go with 12 rebounds, shooting 8-of-14 from the field and 2-of-5 from three. He hit six of his first nine shots and had 14 of the team's first 24 points.
 
Collins had 10 points to mark his ninth straight game in double figures. Senior Lee Skinner had nine points, five rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Jaylen Allen earned a season-high three steals.
 
For VMI, Brian Brown scored a team-high 14 points, followed by Jordan Weethee with 11. Phillip Angalde, who scored 22 points and had seven blocks in the meeting between the two teams on January 8, finished with nine points, nine boards and four rejections.
 
The Terriers finished the afternoon shooting 41 percent, but almost gave it away with a 31-percent second half. Fortunately, they built an 18-point halftime lead by shooting 16-of-32 in the opening 20 minutes. A 12-4 run to close the half put Wofford in ahead 42-24.
 
VMI was just as bad from the field in the first half as Wofford was in the second. Both teams swapped 8-for-26 marks.
 
Wofford did not hit a three in the second half (0-5), but the long-range shots were falling for the Keydets. After taking just seven attempts in the first half and making three, the NCAA leaders in 3-pointers made and taken turned up the heat, going 7-for-17 in the second half to spark a rally.
 
VMI's seven second-half threes accounted for over half of its second-half points. Weethee and Tim Marshall started the onslaught, helping to chop Wofford's 20-point lead to 10 in a matter of five minutes.
 
The Terriers built it back up to as many as 14. Two good free throws by freshman Derrick Brooks put Wofford ahead 58-44 with 8:57 left.
 
The Keydets outscored the Terriers 18-7 the rest of the way, hitting a trio of 3-pointers. It would not be enough; however, as Wofford joined the ranks of the nation's 20-win teams.
 
A big Southern Conference game looms in the near future. The first-place Terriers will host second-place Chattanooga on Thursday at 7 p.m., from Benjamin Jonson Arena, where Woford is an undefeated 11-0 on the season.
 
Wofford Notes:
- Wofford earned a season sweep of VMI, taking a 7-6 lead in the all-time series from having won the last four series matchups. It's the first time since the series began in 1970 that Wofford has had a series lead.
- The Terriers became the 13th team of the 2014-15 season to win 20 games. Entering the day, 11 teams had 20 wins. No. 4 Duke defeated No. 8 Notre Dame to earn its 20th win just minutes before the conclusion of Wofford and VMI.
- Wofford keeps pace with the 1993-94 team for the best start in program history. Both teams went 20-5 through their first 25 games.
- Wofford is 11-1 in the Southern Conference for the first time.
- Wofford also won a narrow game the last time the two teams played inside Cameron Hall. The Terriers defeated VMI in overtime, 94-93, on Feb. 8, 2003.
- Cochran's 12 rebounds were one shy of his career-high of 13, which he earned earlier this season against Ohio Valley (Nov. 25).
- Cochran now ranks No. 3 with Drew Gibson all-time in steals (213). Both currently share the program's Division I record.
- Freshman Cameron Jackson celebrated his birthday with two points and two rebounds in nine minutes.