CHARLESTON, S.C. – Sophomore guard Max Klesmit led three Terriers in double figures and scored Wofford's final eight points, including a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line within the final three minutes, to help lift the Terriers to a 65-58 victory over The Citadel (11-14, 5-9 SoCon) at McAlister Field House on Wednesday night. The Terriers held the Bulldogs to 34.1 percent shooting for the night, while holding The Citadel to its lowest scoring output this season to move to 16-11 overall and 8-7 in the Southern Conference.  
 
"I thought our defense has been carrying us the last couple of weeks," said head coach Jay McAuley. "There's times where we can break this thing open and we're making a little bit of a complicated decision and turnover, or not knocking an open shot down. But, once that starts clicking man, we are an elite team. I think I would love it to have this way, where we're headed into February and March playing our best defense."
 
The Terriers corralled 10 steals as a team for the contest, while forcing 16 turnovers against The Citadel.
 
"We're rebounding at a high level. We won plus-three on the road today, that was really important," added McAuley of winning the glass. "We held them to a really really low percentage from the field and three. We knock a few more shots down the home stretch here, we're going to be right where we want to be."
 
The win secures the season sweep over the Bulldogs, while also serving as Jay McAuley's 50^th win in his third season at the helm of the program.
 
Klesmit led with 17 points, including three 3-pointers and the 6-for-6 mark from the line, while adding a career-best five steals and three rebounds. The Terriers move to 10-2 on the season when the Neenah, Wisc., native buries three or more 3-pointers, as he leads the team with 58 made on the year.
 
Junior forward B.J. Mack finished with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while recording eight rebounds and two assists and blocks apiece. Freshman Austin Patterson added 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc to pair with two assists and rebounds each.
 
Sophomore Sam Godwin chipped in eight points, while Ryan Larson and Isaiah Bigelow each added five points, in addition to Bigelow grabbing five rebounds. Morgan Safford dished a game-high five assists to match a team-high eight rebounds on the night.
 
The Terriers finished the contest 40.7 percent from the floor, while hitting 30.8 percent of their 3-point tries on 8-for-26 shooting and finishing a perfect 13-for-13 from the free-throw line.
 
The Citadel was led by Tyler Moffe with 20 points and four assists, followed by Hayden Brown (13) and Jason Roche (11).
 
Wofford held The Citadel to 30.4 percent from the field in the first half, including just 4-of-15 from 3-point range (26.7%), as the Terriers gained firm control of the lead after an early 7-0 run to lead 13-5 by the 14:23 mark.
 
Sam Godwin checked in to score Wofford's next six-straight prior to Isaiah Bigelow finishing a take to the rack for a 19-11 lead. The Bulldogs trimmed the lead to one possession (19-16), though, the Terriers scored seven of the following nine points, capped by a Bigelow 3-pointer from Morgan Safford, to hold a 26-18 margin with six minutes left.
 
Corey Tripp free throws pushed a nine-point edge at 28-19, however, The Citadel rattled off a 7-0 spurt to come within two, 28-26 (2:19). The Terriers responded resiliently, busting a 7-0 run of its own with a Max Klesmit pull-up trey concluding the run to send Wofford into the locker room with a 35-26 advantage.
 
Out of the intermission, Wofford came out grooving to build its largest lead of the day at 11 by the 14:41 mark, 45-34. After a Tyler Moffe three cut the Terriers' lead to four, 38-34, Patterson found B.J. Mack underneath to spark a 7-0 run that would extend Wofford's first double-digit lead. Shortly after, Patterson knocked down his second 3-pointer off a baseline out-of-bounds play to go back up by nine, 43-34, prior to a Godwin finish pushing the 11-point margin.
 
Four points from Mack, including a spinning and-one lay, kept a 50-40 advantage, as the Bulldogs hit a three (50-43) to see Patterson answer with his third of the night after a crucial offensive rebound from Corey Tripp to reclaim a 53-43 edge (8:40). Despite the answer from Patterson, The Citadel rallied for a pivotal 7-0 run, capped by a Rudy Fitzgibbons III 3-pointer, to come within one possession by the 6:16 mark, 53-50.
 
A tough fadeaway from Mack pushed a 55-50 cushion, though, free throws from the Bulldogs crept in at 55-52. Ryan Larson and Max Klesmit then went a combined 4-for-4 at the free-throw line prior to a Moffe jumper producing a 59-54 margin at the final media timeout with 2:27 left to play. From there, Klesmit corralled a steal on the defensive end en route to finishing a crucial layup on the offensive end that pushed a seven-point lead with under a minute remaining, 61-54. Free throws from the hosts ensued (61-56), however, the sophomore would ultimately hold steady at the line down the stretch to hold on for the 65-58 win at the horn.
 
Wofford (16-11, 8-7 SoCon) prepares next for rivaled matchup in Greenville, S.C., as the Terriers will take on the Furman Paladins at Bon Secours Wellness Arena for a noon matchup on Saturday, Feb. 19.