GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Wofford men's basketball team outscored the Paladins 46-35 in the second half and had two chances for the go-ahead bucket on the final possession, though, the Terriers would come up short to Furman (19-10, 11-5 SoCon) at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Saturday afternoon, 70-69. Wofford shot 57.7 percent in the second half, though, free throws would haunt the Terriers down the stretch, finishing 66.7 percent from the stripe to move to 16-12 and 8-8 in the Southern Conference.
 
The win for Furman marks its first season sweep of the Terriers since the 2006 season.
 
Trailing 35-23 at the half, Wofford came out spirited in using an 8-0 run to summon a two-possession game and force a Paladins timeout by the 16:34 mark, 37-33. Max Klemsit commenced the scoring with a jumper prior to Austin Patterson drilling a 3-pointer at 37-28. Ryan Larson then found B.J. Mack inside prior to a Larson three-ball capping the run at the timeout.
 
From there, both teams traded buckets, seeing an and-one from Mack and Bigelow 3-pointer from Patterson come within a possession at 42-39. The back-and-forth continued, as floaters from Klesmit and Corey Tripp ensued to hang within arm's length, 47-43 (11:59). A B.J. Mack 3-pointer from Tripp and Morgan Safford baseline finish put the Terriers within one, 49-48, though, Furman's JP Pegues had a timely answer each trip down for the Paladins to hold on to a 52-48 margin.
 
Wofford began to take grasp of the differential after Austin Patterson got fouled on a three, converting all three free throws at the line to trail 57-55, as the Terriers got a stop to then see Larson nail the go-ahead bucket on a deep three from the top of the key for Wofford's first lead since 12:26 of the first half, 58-57, with 6:22 to play.
 
B.J. Mack followed with a consecutive trifecta to cap a 9-0 run and extend a 61-57 advantage (5:26), as Furman's Conley Garrison answered with a trey to close back within one, 61-60. Free throws from Larson and Safford clung to a one-point edge (63-62) prior to a Mike Bothwell and-one reclaimed the lead for good for the Paladins with 3:28 remaining, 65-63. Klesmit deadlocked the score with a spinning layup, though, five points from Furman's Jalen Slawson pushed a 70-65 margin (1:56).
 
After a pair of Bigelow free throws (70-67), Ryan Larson notched a steal on the defensive end en route to drawing a flagrant I on Furman's Garrett Hein after the whistle, knocking both in at the line, 70-69, with 53 seconds remaining.
 
Playing down to the final seconds of the shot clock, B.J. Mack launched a 3-point heave with 22 seconds left, as Max Klesmit managed to track down the offensive rebound for a last-chance look with 19 seconds left. Mack would get another chance at the go-ahead look on a final 3-point attempt from the right wing that unfortunately came off the mark to see the Paladins possess the rebound and hold on for the final 70-69 margin at the buzzer.
 
B.J. Mack led four Terriers in double figures with 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, followed by sophomore Max Klesmit with 11 points, four rebounds and two assists.
 
Ryan Larson added 12 points on 3-of-4 shooting beyond the arc, in addition to four assists and a game-high three steals, while Isaiah Bigelow rounds out the Wofford's double-figure scorers with 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Morgan Safford chipped in seven points and three rebounds, while Austin Patterson recorded six points and two assists and steals apiece.  
 
Wofford connected on 15-of-26 in the second half (57.7%) en route to finishing the contest 45.8 percent from the floor and 39.1 percent from 3-point range (9-for-23).
 
The Terriers would unfortunately finish the game 16-for-24 from the line (66.7%).
 
Furman was led by Conley Garrison with 19 points, followed by Jalen Slawson (16) and Marcus Foster (14), as the Paladins finished 47.2 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from beyond the arc. Furman hit 90.9 percent of its tries from the charity stripe (10-of-11).
 
The Terriers pounced on Furman to start, scoring the first 10 points, capped by back-to-back threes from Max Klesmit and Ryan Larson, to force a Paladins timeout up 10-0 by the 17:36 mark.
 
From there, Furman then regrouped in full force defensively, scoring 12-straight unanswered while turning the Terriers over eight times in the midst of a massive 19-2 run to claim a 19-12 edge with 9:44 remaining in the half. Sam Godwin corralled his own miss to convert an and-one finish to come within two possessions (19-15), though, Furman's Garrison answered with a triple to push a 22-15 margin at the under-eight media (7:50).
 
Out of the break, Bigelow knocked a pair down at the charity stripe before Luke Turner fed him for a crucial second-chance three from the right wing, 24-20. The Paladins rallied in scoring six of the next seven points (30-21) en route to busting an 11-1 run that pushed Furman's largest lead after an Alex Hunter 3-pointer at 35-21 (1:35). B.J. Mack then drove baseline to conclude the scoring and send both teams to the locker room with the Paladins leading, 35-23.
 
Turnovers made the difference in the first frame, as the Paladins tallied 11 points off eight Wofford turnovers en route to finishing 41.4 percent on 5-of-15 from 3-point land (33.3%).
 
Wofford (16-12, 8-8 SoCon) returns to the court on Wednesday, Feb. 23, when it travels to face VMI in Lexington, Va. for a 7 p.m. matchup inside Cameron Hall.