MACON, Ga. – Fletcher Magee and Nathan Hoover combined for 10 three-pointers (10-17 3PFG) and 41 points as Wofford defeated Mercer 76-67 at Hawkins Arena on Thursday night. With the win, the Terriers improve to 18-4 overall and 10-0 in Southern Conference play, going 8-0 in the month of January.
"I've coached for 17 years, and I don't think I've ever had an undefeated month until this year," said Wofford head coach Mike Young. "We didn't play our best, but we beat a well-coached team on the road tonight."
Magee led all scorers with 23, going 5-for-9 from 3-point range while knocking down four free throws. Hoover, who hit all five of his threes in the first half, finished with 18 while Cameron Jackson scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds, had two steals and one block in the win.
"The hoop was huge in the first half," Hoover said. "Cam drew a lot of attention, so I got a lot of good looks and they went down tonight."
Thursday also marked the return of Trevor Stumpe, who played 24 minutes off the bench in the absence of Matthew Pegram as Wofford battled foul trouble throughout the game.
"It's nice to have Trevor back," Young said. "He got some rust knocked off, and this game tonight will help him on Saturday. What a great addition to have in January."
Up next, Wofford travels to Charleston to face The Citadel on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and on the Wofford IMG Digital Network.
"Matt going down hurt, but to have Trevor back is great," Hoover said. "We battled foul trouble as a team, but we have such great depth and we have a lot of confidence in every guy who comes into the game."
Hoover wasted no time getting going, draining a pair of 3-pointers as Ryan Larson finished in the lane to give Wofford an early seven-point advantage. After Storm Murphy finished in the lane, Hoover hit two more 3-pointers as the Terriers extended their lead to 12 (24-12).
Wofford looked to establish some breathing room at the charity stripe, hitting six free throws to make the score 37-22. Mercer battled back, however, getting a pair of threes to cut the deficit to nine and force a Wofford timeout. Five points from Ethan Stair in the last minute and a half and a layup before time expired pulled the Bears to within three at half (40-37).
After 3-pointers from Magee and Murphy got the Terriers going in the second, Wofford would go on a 6-0 run, getting two layups from Jackson, a charge drawn by Aluma and a bucket from Hollowell to give the Terriers a 58-51 advantage.
With 7:01 to play, Magee found Jackson on the pick and roll for a dunk, but four free throws from the Bears made the score just 63-61 in favor of the Terriers. Wofford's shooting took over from here, as Hoover would get fouled beyond the arc and knock down all three free throws.
"We're always picking each other up," said Hoover of the team's resiliency and balance. "Our defense has been really good, so if we keep defending and rebounding the way we have, we'll continue to be tough to beat."
Moments later, Magee pump faked a defender and dilled a three from the top of the key as Wofford would take a 73-62 lead with 2:49 to play, ultimately taking the contest by that same margin.
"Fletcher hit a humongous shot right at the top of the key towards the end there," said Young. "I'm proud of them."
