ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Spencer Collins was at it again. For the second straight day, he led all scorers and top-seeded Wofford shot 55 percent to defeat fourth-seeded Western Carolina, 73-61, Sunday night in the Southern Conference Tournament semifinals at U.S. Cellular Center.
                                                                                   
The win sends Wofford to its fourth SoCon title game in six years, where the Terriers will take on 10th-seeded Furman. The Paladins upset No. 7 The Citadel, No. 2 Chattanooga and No. 3 Mercer, respectively, to earn their place in the championship. The final will tip at 7 p.m. and be televised on ESPN2.

Every time the Terriers have gone, they've walked away with the trophy (2010, 2011, 2014). Last year, Wofford edged out Western Carolina, 56-53.
 
Wofford (27-6) also set a new program record for wins in a season. The mark was previously held by the 2009-10 team (26-9) that won Wofford's first SoCon Tournament Championship.
 
"We have great respect for Coach Hunter and those Catamounts. You know when you play those guys it's going to be a fight to the finish," said Wofford head coach Mike Young, who improved to 13-8 in his career against WCU head coach Larry Hunter. "Their preparation and how they go about things in their program is exemplary in nature.
 
"I'm proud of our team. Our guys and these two guys to my left (Lee Skinner & Karl Cochran) have helped us to so much success. We look forward to coming back tomorrow, strapping it on one more time and getting after it."
 
Wofford led by as many as 18 in the second half of Sunday night's semifinal. Already on top by 10, the Terriers went on a 10-2 run that resulted in a 50-32 lead with 13:25 to play. Allen hit the triple for the 18-point lead.
 
Western Carolina (15-17) cut the lead to nine with 4:14 left, but got no closer. The Terriers went 7-of-8 at the free throw line in the final minute to seal it.
 
Collins scored a game-high 17 points, 10 of which came at the charity stripe. He shot 3-of-5 from the field, 10-of-13 at the foul line, adding five rebounds and a game-high three assists. His semifinal performance came on the heels of a 21-point outing in Saturday's quarterfinal win over UNCG.
 
Seniors Lee Skinner and Karl Cochran scored 14 and 11 points, respectively. All of Cochran's came in the second half on 4-of-5 shooting and a perfect 3-for-3 from deep. Sophomore Jaylen Allen completed the quartet with 10.
 
The Terriers were sharp on both ends of the floor, shooting 55 percent and holding the Catamounts to 38 percent. It was the second time the Terriers shot 50 percent or better against Western this season, also doing so in a 75-55 win on Valentine's Day in the mountains.
 
Once again, Wofford's defense was able to control Western senior James Sinclair. He scored 16 points, but shot just 5-of-19 (26.3 pct.). In the two regular season meeting against Wofford, he averaged 14 points, but at a minimal 24.3 percent. The First Team All-SoCon pick averaged 19.1 points and shot over 40 percent in the regular season.
 
Torrion Brummitt joined Sinclair in double figures with 12 points. Mike Brown grabbed game-high 12 rebonds, helping the Catamounts edge Wofford 34-30 on the glass.
 
The Terriers led for over 35 minutes even though the lead changed hands seven times in the opening eight minutes. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Allen and Collins put Wofford on top 15-10 at the first half's 12:07 mark.
 
The lead didn't change again. Western chopped it to a single point shortly after, but five from the Terriers made the margin a half dozen, once more. Skinner made it a 10-point game for the first time late in the half. Sophomore Eric Garcia got fouled on a 16-footer and still found the bottom of the net to make it a 35-24 Terrier lead at the half.
 
Rhett Harrelson hit a three on Western's first possession of the second half to make it an eight-point game, but that was as close as it got. Wofford started 4-of-6 from the field and built its lead to 18 on an Allen triple with 13:25 to play.
 
All good teams make a run, and the Catamounts were no exception. They chipped away and got back within single digits, but Wofford's lead was too much to overcome as the Terriers celebrated their fifth SoCon Tournament victory over Western Carolina in the last eight tournaments.
 
Wofford Notes:
- Wofford will play in its fourth SoCon Tournament Championship final in the last six years.
- The Terriers won their 27th game of the season, setting a new program record.
- Wofford improved to 5-2 against the Catamounts in SoCon Tournament history, and earned its fifth straight in the overall series, which WCU leads 25-24.
- Spencer Collins scored a game-high 17 points and has led the Terriers in scoring in three of the last four games.
- The Terriers will play Furman in the final, which will mark the first postseason meeting between the two schools in their 107-year history. Furman leads the series 83-52.


 
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