SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The men's basketball team outscored Western Carolina by 20 points in the second half and pulled away in the final minutes to earn an 85-66 victory Saturday night in Southern Conference action at Benjamin Johnson Arena.
 
Leading by four with 6 minutes remaining, the Terriers got a 3-pointer from freshman Fletcher Magee to take what was their largest lead of the half. Gordon pushed it to nine by drawing a foul on a defensive rebound and knocking down both free throws.
 
The sequence of the night followed. Junior Eric Garcia poked the ball away from Elijah Pughsley and found redshirt junior Ryan Sawvell in transition to give the Terriers their first double-digit lead of the night. Western Carolina went for a quick response and sent a long pass down court on the ensuing inbound, but junior Jaylen Allen stole it away. He found Garcia, who was fouled and made two more to make it a 13-point game.
 
Western Carolina (8-14, 3-6 SoCon) turned it over once more on its next possession and Spencer Collins sent home the dagger. The senior, who has scored more than 1,500 points in his career, banked home a 3-pointer that turned what was a four-point game into an 80-64 Terrier lead in a matter of 1 minute and 12 seconds. Collins smirked as he backpetaled after using the window and Wofford (10-12, 6-3 SoCon) cruised from there.
 
"Justin Gordon and Jaylen Allen had a couple terrific hustle plays that really lifted our team," said head coach Mike Young, who earned his 227th career victory and, in doing so, passed both Eddie Cameron -- for whom Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium is named after – and Bobby Cremins for fifth in Southern Conference coaching victories. "It's hard to turn it on. We came out in the first half on our heels and it can be very hard to flip that switch and get it going. But, thankfully, we did."
 
After leading for nearly 18 minutes in the first half, Wofford went into the locker rooms trailing, 40-39. Western ended the half outscoring Wofford 11-2 through the final 3 minutes and shot nearly 47 percent.
 
Wofford didn't regain the lead until the 14:27 mark of the second half, but never gave it back. The Terriers stayed ahead by living at the free throw line, connecting on 37-of-49 attempts (75.5 pct.) to mark season-highs in both makes and attempts. The last time Wofford made over 30 in a game was the 2010 Southern Conference semifinals against Western Carolina.
 
Playing without senior Rhett Harrelson, the team's leading 3-point shooter, Western Carolina was limited to just 2-of-10 on the night from beyond the arc. The Catamounts did not make a triple the entire second half.
 
Young was quick to point out how pleased he was with his team's perimeter defense. "We have given up five total made threes in our last two games and that's a big deal," he would say in a postgame interview. "There are still some things we need to sure up and we will, but I'm encouraged."
 
Wofford limited ETSU to 3-of-17 (17.6 pct.) from beyond the arc in an 87-73 win on Thursday night.
 
Four Terriers ended the game in double figures. Magee led the way with 18 points with a 3-for-6 mark from 3-point land and a 9-for-10 showing at the charity stripe. Gordon also made it back-to-back games in double figures with 16 after scoring 15 two nights ago against the Buccaneers. Garcia had 13 points and was an assist away from a double-double, while Sawvell scored 11.
 
Senior C.J. Neumann led Wofford to a 40-23 advantage on the glass. Neumann, who entered the night averaged just under eight rebounds in SoCon play, pulled down a game-high nine. Gordon contributed with seven while both Sawvell and Collins came away with six.
 
For Western Carolina, Mike Brown scored a game-high 23 points, but was just 5-of-13 from the field. He did most of his scoring at the foul line, going 13-for-15, and led all Catamounts with six rebounds. Torrion Brummitt, who averaged 7.8 rebounds in league games heading into the night, finished with just one. He joined Brown in double figures with 14 points.
 
The Terriers are off until next Thursday, when they make the four-day road trip to Chattanooga and Samford. The first-place Mocs (18-3, 7-1 SoCon) are up Thursday with a 7:30 p.m., tip scheduled at The McKenzie Arena.
 
Terrier Notes:
- Coach Young moved into sole possession of fifth place in Southern Conference coaching victories. Young passed both Eddie Cameron (Duke, 1928-42) and Bobby Cremins (Appalachian State, 1975-81 – College of Charleston, 2006-12) with win number 227.
- Spencer Collins saw a nine-game double-figure scoring streak come to an end. He finished the night with eight points.
- Wofford won its sixth straight series meeting against Western Carolina. The Terriers have not lost to the Catamounts at home since 2006.
- Wofford's 37 made free throws and 49 attempts were its most in a game in more than 15 years. It was also the first time Wofford made 30 free throws since March 7, 2010 against, going 30-for-37 against Western Carolina in the SoCon semifinals.