COLUMBIA, S.C. – Wofford guard Nathan Hoover scored a career-high 30 points, connecting on nine 3-pointers as the Terriers defeated South Carolina 81-61 on Monday night.

Seven players scored in the win including freshman Ryan Larson, who totaled nine while filling in Storm Murphy (illness). Keve Aluma scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Cameron Jackson and Tray Hollowell each contributed 10.

In the win, Hoover eclipsed his previous high of 23 points (at Samford 2/7/18), and shattered his previous single-game high of five 3-pointers while adding three points from the free throw line.

"He had a good look about him," head coach Mike Young said of Hoover. "We ran one play early for him in front of our bench and it went in. After that, the sky opened up for him."

Wofford now sits at 5-2 on the season, hosting its first SoCon opponent of the year on Saturday when ETSU comes to Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium for a 7 p.m. tip.

"We needed this. We needed a shot in the arm," said Young. "We lost to North Carolina and Oklahoma. We've beaten the people we're supposed to beat, but when you come into Colonial Life Arena, beat the Gamecocks by 20 points, you're doing something right, I'm proud of my team."

Hoover was locked in right from the start, beginning the game with a 3-pointer and hitting a pair of free throws as Wofford jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Hoover and Aluma would continue the scoring as Wofford took a 13-4 advantage at the 11:49 mark.

The defense would make its presence felt as Cameron Jackson and Ryan Larson both stepped in to take charges, with Larson completing a 3-point play in the lane to make the score 19-6 in favor of Wofford. 

"I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Ryan Larson help us win. Chevez Goodwin pulled down a number of key rebounds and Tray Hollowell gave us a lot of quality minutes. We got contributions from everyone, and that's the essence of a team."

South Carolina would fight back, going on a 14-2 run to cut the deficit to just one point. Hoover would hit his fourth three of half and Aluma answered with a timely putback to give Wofford a three-point lead going into the break.

"It's not easy. I'm very pleased," said Young of his team's ability to respond on Monday. "The road is ugly and it can be chaotic, but we've got good players and we never got on our heels."

Fletcher Magee, who had eight points and eight rebounds, opened up the second half by hitting his first 3-pointer of the night. After an Aluma dunk, Magee hit another 3-pointer as Wofford looked to pull away.

As South Carolina attempted to close the gap, going on an 8-3 run midway through the half, it was Hoover's hot shooting that kept the Gamecocks at bay, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and completing a 4-point play to extend the Wofford lead to 12.

"Nathan's shot in transition was unbelievable," Young said. "I've seen a lot of great performances, but tonight's ranks up there at the top with all of them."

Wofford continued to push the pace, getting a pair of buckets from Larson and an emphatic slam from Jackson to give Wofford the 81-61 victory.

The win is the second victory over South Carolina while under the guidance of Mike Young, and the first since 2009 when the Terriers topped the Gamecocks 68-61 Benjamin Johnson Arena.