ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Spencer Collins scored a game-high 21 points and top-seeded Wofford ended the game on a 15-4 run to defeat UNC Greensboro, 70-52, in the Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday at U.S. Cellular Center.
 
Wofford led nearly the entire way and used a 7-0 run to take a 16-point advantage early in the second half. UNCG didn't go down quietly. Six straight points made it a seven-point game with less than eight minutes remaining, and the Spartans hung around down single digits with the game nearing the final minutes.
 
A late Wofford run sparked by SoCon Player of the Year Karl Cochran put all doubt to rest. The senior was quiet on offense with just six points on 2-of-6 shooting before exploding for back-to-back threes that put the game away. Junior Justin Gordon finished it off with a slam that put the Terriers up 18.
 
"I'm always nervous about the first one, but I guess I'm nervous about all of them," said Terrier head coach Mike Young. "I thought Greensboro got a lot better in the last three weeks and were playing very good basketball. I did not think they were anywhere close to being the eighth seed, but that's where they were and that's who we had in game one."
 
UNCG (11-22) was stifled by Wofford's defense. The Spartans shot 35 percent and hit just 2-of-15 from three. Wofford was much better offensively, using a 58-percent second half to finish the game right at 50 percent (24-48). The Terriers were also better on the glass, 36-30.
 
Collins pushed Wofford over the hump. The Easley, S.C. product registered his second 20-point game in three outings, finishing the afternoon 9-for-14 shooting. He led all scorers with 11 at the half and came out of the break picking up right where he left off. His final basket came in the final minute of play to push him over 20.
 
"Every game we just have to come together, rebound and defend," said Collins, who was a Third-Team All-Southern Conference selection by the media. "We played a good Greensboro team that has a lot of players that can score. If our team comes together night in and night out, plays hard and rebounds, it gives us a good chance to win."
 
Cochran came up a rebound shy of a double-double, going for 12 points, nine boards, two assists and a block. Senior Lee Skinner also had a dozen to go with four boards. Gordon, who had seven at the half, finished with 10 points. Gordon and classmate C.J. Neumann each pulled in a handful of rebounds.
 
Kayel Locke led UNCG with 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Diante Baldwin at 13 points, and the two combined to shoot 13-for-26, while the rest of the team went 7-for-31 (22.6 pct.).
 
The Terriers advance to play fourth-seeded Western Carolina in Saturday's semifinal round. It will be a rematch of last year's SoCon Championship game. Wofford swept the Catamounts in the 2014-15 regular season.