SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On Thursday night, the Wofford College men's basketball team was defeated 73-71 by East Tennessee State University at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The Terriers built a nine-point lead in the first half, but the Bucs were able to take a ten-point lead at the midpoint of the second half. Wofford was able to tie the game at 65 with under five minutes to play. The Bucs had a 73-71 lead with 45 seconds remaining and the Terriers had a chance at the buzzer but were unable to score.
The Terriers' record moves to 8-6, while the Bucs are 5-9 overall. It was the Southern Conference opener for both teams. ETSU was 10-of-20 from behind the arc (50.0%) and were plus-nine on the glass to secure the win.
For Wofford,
Messiah Jones and
B.J. Mack each had 17 points, with Mack adding eight rebounds and Jones pulling down six.
Jackson Paveletzke scored 14 points and had four rebounds. The Bucs were led by Justice Smith with 20 points and seven rebounds. DeAnthony Tipler was 4-of-7 from three for his 12 points.
"First off credit goes to a talented ETSU team," said interim head coach
Dwight Perry. "Every team in our league can beat any team in our league, home or away. They have a lot of guys that can really make plays on both ends of the floor. We dug ourselves a hole and it wasn't too much to come back from, but at the end of the day you are at the mercy of if the last play goes your way or not. We have to have a commitment to 40 minutes and do the necessary things to win. We have to turn the page from this tough loss and get ready for UNCG on Saturday."
Corey Tripp scored the first basket of the game and added a three pointer, while
B.J. Mack had a pair of free throws to take a 7-3 lead after four minutes of play. After the score was tied at nine at the 12:01 mark,
Jackson Sivills made a lay-up for an 11-9 lead. Wofford scored the next five points before the Bucs answered with a three pointer to make it a 14-12 game at the midpoint of the first half. Two minutes later, Wofford had a 20-15 advantage after a bucket by
Jackson Paveletzke. With 3:52 remaining in the half,
B.J. Mack added a pair of free throws for a 26-19 lead.
Adam Silas hit a pair from the line for a 30-21 lead with 2:23 left in the half. Wofford pushed the lead to 34-25 after a bucket by
Messiah Jones, but the Bucs answered with a back-to-back three pointers for a 34-31 score at the half.
The Bucs scored to open the second half to make it a 34-33 score, but the 8-0 run ended with a lay-up by
Messiah Jones for a 36-33 lead two minutes into play. After Wofford made it a 38-33 lead on a
Kyler Filewich lay-up, the Bucs hit a three and then a pair of free throws tied the game at 38 four minutes into the half. ETSU took their first lead of the game at 40-38. Wofford had a fast-break lay-up and free throw by
Jackson Paveletzke to regain the lead at 44-42, but the Bucs responded with the next seven points for a 49-44 score at the 11:58 mark of the half. The run ended with a pair of free throws by
Carson McCorkle, but once again the Bucs answered with a three-pointer and lay-up for a 54-46 lead. Wofford called a timeout with 9:02 on the clock after ETSU extended the advantage to 59-49.
With 8:31 left in the game,
Messiah Jones had a bucket and free throw to cut the lead to 59-52.
B.J. Mack hit a three-pointer with seven minutes remaining to make it 61-55. A three-pointer by
Jackson Paveletzke and a jump shot by
B.J. Mack with 5:45 on the clock made it a 63-60 score. Another three by
Jackson Paveletzke, followed by a steal and fast-break by
Adam Silas tied the game at 65 with four minutes left. The Bucs regained the lead with back-to-back threes for a 71-65 advantage.
Jackson Paveletzke added a three to cut the advantage to 73-70 with ninety seconds left on the clock. At 44 seconds,
Corey Tripp made one free throw and the Terriers had the ball with four seconds left but were unable to score.
Quick Hits
- It was the 47th meeting between the two teams, with the Bucs holding a 41-16 lead in the series.
- Since joining the Southern Conference in the 1997-98 season, Wofford is now 13-13 in league openers.
- From three, Wofford shot 16.1% (5-of-31) while ESTU was at 50.0% (10-of-20).
- The Terriers were 18-of-21 (85.7%) from the free throw line. ETSU was 9-of-13 (69.2%).
- ETSU out-rebounded Wofford by a 41 to 32 margin, including 15 offensive board for the Bucs.
- The Terriers had a 14-5 advantage in points off turnovers (with 12 turnovers forced) and Wofford only had four turnovers in the game.
Up Next
The Terriers will remain at home as they host UNCG on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
