SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Outscoring ETSU 46-33 in the second half, the Wofford Terriers picked up their first SoCon win of the 2018-19 season, defeating the Bucs 79-62 on Saturday night. As a team, Wofford hauled in 36 rebounds, 10 coming on the offensive end which led to 18 second-chance points while shooting over 50 percent from floor. 

That was a competitive game," said Wofford head coach Mike Young. "Both sides were fighting every possession, but to be plus 13 on the boards and limit them to 38 percent from the field, if we can do that night in and night out, we'll give ourselves a good chance to win and tonight was a very encouraging look from our team. 

Fletcher Magee had a game-high 24 points, going 7-for-16 from the floor and 5-for-12 from 3-point range. Cameron Jackson, the team leader in steals per game, recorded three while scoring 12 points and grabbing eight key rebounds. Senior Matthew Pegram played a pivotal role in the win, coming off the bench to match his season high of 10 points, recording six rebounds and adding a block while playing just under 20 minutes. 

The Terriers move to 6-2 on the season (1-0 SoCon), and return to the court on Tuesday, traveling to Kansas to face the Jayhawks at 8 p.m.

"This was a pivotal game for a lot of reasons," Young said. "This could have implications in late February and in March when it matters. There's a long way to go, but this was a significant step forward for us."

The two sides, which were slated second and third in the SoCon's preseason polls, looked evenly matched from the start, with Wofford holding a 16-15 advantage. A Tray Hollowell putback sparked an 8-0 run from Wofford, capped off by a Magee 3-pointer that made the score 23-15. The Bucs would not go away easily though, scoring eight of the next 10 points. With Wofford leading 33-26, Isaiah Tisdale drove the lane and finished a 3-point play to give him 15 points at the break and make the deficit just four going into the break.

"We just couldn't guard Tisdale in the first half," Young said. "We did a better job in the second. We got to our sports and played more disciplined and it made a difference."

Keve Aluma, who nearly registered a double-double (8 points, 10 rebounds), scored to open up the second half, followed by a pair of threes from Magee as the Terriers took a 41-31 lead. The bench kept the run going, with Hollowell finding himself in the paint, scoring in traffic to force an ETSU timeout as Wofford went ahead by 13 points.

ETSU would respond out of the timeout, hitting a pair of threes to cut into the Wofford advantage. Magee, who hit four of his five treys in the second half, drilled his fourth 3-pointer to keep the Bucs at bay momentarily. ETSU was not deterred, however, as Tisdale, who was held to just three points in the second half, scored another 3-point play to make the score 53-48.

Clinging to a one-point lead moments later, Pegram, Jackson and Aluma all ripped down huge rebounds as the Terriers turned them into points and gave all the momentum to the Wofford. With 4:16 left in the game, Pegram found Nathan Hoover in the corner for a three that put Wofford in front by nine (63-54).

"A number of guys showed up for us tonight," said Young. "Number 50 Matthew Pegram was fantastic for us, Cameron Jackson showed why he's the best post player in our league tonight. Nathan Hoover hit some humongous shots for us."

With ETSU attempting to make one last run, Jackson was clutch down the stretch, grabbing a steal, an offensive rebound and finding Magee for the game-clinching 3-pointer as Wofford went ahead 69-58 with 1:34 to play.

After two technical fouls on ETSU, the Terriers went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the waning seconds of the half to ice the game, polishing off the Bucs when Jackson found Aluma in transition for a dunk that made the score 79-62.