LEXINGTON, Va. – A defensive team effort and an inside presence led the two-time defending Southern Conference Tournament champions to a 2-0 start in league play, as the Wofford men's basketball team defeated VMI, 65-61, Tuesday night at Cameron Hall.
 
Wofford led by as many as 14 with 4:35 to play, but VMI dwindled it down and used a 12-1 run to get within three, 62-59, with less than a minute remaining. The Terriers locked down on defense and got two consecutive stops to hold on. The Keydets fouled, but the Terriers continued to knock down free throws and pulled out their seventh straight Southern Conference road victory.
 
"I don't care who you are or where you are, winning on the road is a big deal," said head coach Mike Young. "You've just got to find a way to get out of here with a win. I'm proud of our team."
 
Wofford (5-9, 2-0 SoCon) held VMI (5-8, 0-2 SoCon) to 40.8-percent shooting, outmuscled the Keydets 22-14 in the paint and won the battle on the glass 34-25. Even when the shots weren't falling, the Terriers found a way to get to the foul line, where they had another impressive night by going 19 of 21 (90.5 pct.).
 
"We are guarding the ball better and playing with a greater level of awareness and toughness," added Young. "We're coming around, slowly but surely, and it was nice to see that take place here tonight"
 
Senior Spencer Collins led all Terriers with 13 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line. Junior point guard Eric Garcia finished with 11 and redshirt junior Ryan Sawvell had his best Terrier performance to date of 10 points and six rebounds.
 
Perhaps the biggest performance of the night came from senior C.J. Neumann, who grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in 20 minutes. With Wofford clinging to a 3-point lead in the final seconds, he stepped to the foul line and buried two clutch free throws to help put the game away. Neumann finished two points shy of a double-double.
 
"He's the best," Young added on Neumann. "To go to the foul line in that type of situation and knock down those free throws isn't easy. I remember we were in a similar situation last year against ETSU and he did the same thing for us. That's a senior right there."
 
For VMI, junior Q.J. Peterson had a game-high 18 points and team-high eight rebounds. He entered the night averaging a SoCon-best 19.3 points and Wofford held him to 5-of-11 from the floor. Phillip Anglade reached double figures with 13 points, as did Trey Chapman with 12.
 
Wofford started hot, connecting on five of its first nine shot attempts and three of its first four from long range. Triples by freshman Fletcher Magee, junior Jaylen Allen and Collins put the Terriers in front 13-6.
 
After holding the lead for more than 16 minutes, the Terriers gave it up by going scoreless through the final 3:26. A Sawvell jumper accounted for the only Terrier points through the half's final 7:49 and Wofford turned it over five times through the final eight minutes.
 
VMI was only good for seven baskets at the half, but found ways to get to the line. The Keydets hit 10-of-12 at the stripe in the first half, accounting for their final four points to go into the break leading, 27-26.
 
Wofford came out on fire in the second half. The Terriers scored the first 11 points to take a 10-point lead. Collins hit all six of his free throws during that stretch, which also included a Garcia 3-ball and Justin Gordon jumper.
 
The Terriers went on to hit nine of their first 16 shot attempts in the half and never trailed from there. Leading by six, Garcia came up with a steal and found Collins on the fast break. It sparked an 8-0 run that put Wofford in front 61-47 with 4:35 left.
 
Wofford is back in Spartanburg for its next contest. The Terriers welcome Samford to Benjamin Johnson Arena on Saturday with tip scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
Terrier Notes:
- Wofford won its seventh straight Southern Conference road game.
- The Terriers improved to 8-6 all-time against VMI and have won the last five series meetings.
- Spencer Collins passed Trap Hart (1956-59) for 16th on Wofford's all-time scoring list. He now has 1,408 career points.
- C.J. Neumann grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds. The last time a Terrier grabbed 10 in a game was also at VMI on February 7, 2015, when Karl Cochran went for 12.
- Wofford is shooting 91.4 percent (43-47) at the foul line in Southern Conference play
- VMI's Tim Marshall was issued a flagrant 2 and was ejected from the game with 4:55 to play.