SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford's backcourt duo of Storm Murphy and Morgan Safford exploded for a combined 47 points together to put the Terriers back in the win column with an 88-77 win over an undefeated Coastal Carolina team to hand the Chanticleers (4-1) their first loss of the season. Murphy matched a career-high of 26 points in the contest, while Safford set a new career-high with 21 points to move the Terriers to 3-2 overall on the season.
 
"I'm proud of our team," said head coach Jay McAuley. "We've obviously struggled to finish a few that we've let slip away and they just keep coming to the gym working, scouting guys, being prepared, and getting extra shots up. I thought you saw a really connected bunch tonight. Once we settled in and started getting some collective stops … to hold that team to 40 percent and 28 percent from three, that's an outstanding job by our guys."
 
The Terriers held Coastal Carolina to 41 percent shooting from the field and just 28.6 percent from deep range (8-28). Wofford has now held four of its past five opponents to 20-percent shooting from beyond the arc.
 
Murphy tied his career-high with yet another efficient outing this season, hitting 8-of-12 (66.7%) shots from the floor and three threes at a 50-percent clip (3-6), in addition to finishing 7-for-8 from the free throw line. Murphy also recorded a season-high seven assists on the night to move him into fifth all-time at Wofford in assists, tying Donald Nance with 392 for his career.
 
Safford finished 7-of-15 from the floor en route to a career-best effort, shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc (4-8) with a career-high four made threes in the contest. In addition to finishing 3-for-4 from the free throw line, the freshman added four rebounds and two assists on the night.
 
"Morgan Safford is a baller," said senior guard Storm Murphy. "He's so awesome to play with and to be with and just really appreciate him and his efforts tonight. He was a big piece tonight. Morgan's come a long way and he's going to be a great Terrier in the future."
 
Wofford finished with four Terriers in double figures overall, as senior Tray Hollowell finished with 13 points on four threes, marking his fourth contest this year with at least three 3-point field goals made. He also tied his career-high with seven rebounds, while sophomore Messiah Jones added 10 points, hitting six free throws on the night, with seven rebounds, three steals and a block.
 
Sophomore B.J. Mack added another solid eight-point outing, while Austin Patterson, who recently joined the team mid-year immediately eligible as a freshman, recorded his first collegiate buckets with five points on the night.
 
Wofford shot 50 percent from the floor and hit a season-high 15 3-pointers at 46.9 percent (15-32) on 20 assists to bolster the Terriers to an 11-point win. Additionally, the Terriers found their stroke from the free throw line, hitting 19-of-26 (73.1%) for the contest.
 
The Chanticleers kept things close to start the contest, as the first half saw eight lead changes prior to Hollowell giving the Terriers a 29-26 lead on a 3-point feed from Safford with 5:34 left in the frame. Wofford then blitzed the Chanticleers with a 16-4 run, seeing scores from Murphy, Safford and Messiah Jones, to allow the Terriers to hold a 10-point lead at the intermission, 42-32.
 
Wofford and Coastal Carolina would trade buckets to open the first few minutes of the second half, as the Terriers managed to keep a double-digit margin up until Coastal would use a 5-0 run to bring the score within seven, 51-44, by the 14:52 mark. Safford answered the Chanitcleers' rally, hitting two back-to-back threes before finding freshman Austin Patterson for a three on the left wing to give Wofford its largest lead of the night at 60-46. The Terriers held resilient in keeping a 10 to 11-point margin over the ensuing six minutes before a B.J. Mack lay-in made the lead 12 points (76-64).
 
The Chanticleers didn't give up early, however, finding a second wind in scoring 10 of the next 13 points to cut the lead to within five points, 79-74, with 2:22 left to play. Coastal would earn another five-point spread after a pair of one-and-one makes from Murphy, though, Murphy would come back down to nail a dagger pull-up three from the top of the key to extend the lead back to eight, 84-76. The very next play Murphy dimed Hollowell for another trey to put the nail in the coffin with 42 secs left, as Wofford would control the remainder of the game to come away with the 88-77 victory at the buzzer.

Wofford shot 56 percent in the second half (14-25), while knocking down 9-of-15 from beyond the arc (60%) and 9-of-11 from the charity stripe (81.8%) to secure their third win of the season. 
 
POST-GAME NOTES:

• The Terriers recorded 19 points off Coastal Carolina's 13 turnovers in the contest.
• Senior Storm Murphy (988 career points) needs just 12 points to become the 50^th Wofford men's basketball player to eclipse the 1,000-point mark.
• The last time the Terriers hit at least 15 3-pointers in a contest was on March 6, 2020, when Wofford hit 16-of-31 (51.6%) in a 93-76 win over The Citadel in the first round of the 2020 Southern Conference Tournament.
• The team's 20 assists on the night marks the third time this season the Terriers have recorded at least 15 assists.

 
WOFFORD ADDS AUSTIN PATTERSON:
The Wofford men's basketball program announced the addition of Austin Patterson, a guard who starred at Sonora High School in Sonora, Calif. and joins the Terriers mid-season after foregoing a prep year at prep school basketball powerhouse Brewster Academy. Patterson, a 6-foot-3 native of Sonora, Calif., averaged 23.4 points, 6. 5 rebounds and 3.6 assists his senior year en route to leading his team to Mother Lode League and D4 Sectional Championships with a 28-4 record under head coach Lloyd Longeway. He was named the 2020 DIII Player of the Year and 2020 Modesto Bee Player of the Year, as he finished shooting 55 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from beyond the arc in 2020. Additionally, Patterson holds the Sonora High School record for most point scored in a game with 48.
 
"We are excited to add Austin, along with his wonderful family to our basketball program," said head coach Jay McAuley. "An opportunity arose for Austin to join us after the first semester and both parties jumped at the chance to make that happen. Austin brings a versatile skillset at the combo guard spot, along with a winning mentality. His ability to shoot the ball and create for others is something that complements our style of play at a high level.  The few days that he has been on campus he has fit in perfectly with our locker room and our team is excited that he's joining the Terrier family."

The Terriers finish the non-conference slate on Monday, December 21, when Wofford travels to face the SEC's Texas A&M in College Station, Texas for a 1 p.m. ET tip.