SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Junior
B.J. Mack and sophomore
Max Klesmit combined for over 40 points for the second consecutive game on Saturday night, as the Terriers erupted for a massive 22-4 run to open the second half and gain control of the lead to down Mercer (15-16, 8-10 SoCon) on Senior Night, 74-67, at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Wofford finishes the regular season 18-12 and 10-8 in the Southern Conference, as the win clinched a first-round bye into next Saturday's quarterfinals at the Ingles SoCon Basketball Championship in Asheville, N.C.
Prior to tonight's contest, Wofford honored its six seniors in
Alex Michael,
David Appelgren,
Isaiah Bigelow,
Ryan Larson and managers Rudy Gore and Clayton Mathis.
"This is what we've been working for," said head coach
Jay McAuley. "We want to play for games that matter around here, we just do. And this is what Wofford's all about. To play in front of this crowd and not play our best in the first half. Maybe a little pressing, emotional because of senior night … But, the resolve of our guys in the second half, that's what I'm taking up there to Asheville."
"The toughest group, in my opinion, that can go up there, so I'm really proud of those guys," added McAuley. "I can speak about our whole program. They were fighting and clawing and we got the job done."
Despite the Bears finishing the contest 55.3 percent from the floor, Wofford outscored Mercer by 16 in the second half, 49-33, while also holding the Bears to just 4-of-13 from beyond the arc (30.8%) – four less than their average of 8.3 threes per game on the season.
The Terriers connected on 16-of-28 in the second half (57.1%) en route to finishing the game 51 percent from the floor (25-of-49) and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc on 7-of-21 shooting.
Additionally, the Terriers cleaned up a rough first-half free-throw outing over the final 20 minutes, hitting 11-of-13 in the second half to finish 70.8 percent from the line (17-of-24). Wofford ranks within the nation's top 25 in free-throw percentage, ranked 23
rd (76.8%) heading into Saturday's contest.
Forward
B.J. Mack added his eighth 20-ball of the season with 26 points, on 9-of-16 shooting and 7-for-8 from the charity stripe, three rebounds and two steals. Guard
Max Klesmit heated up in the second half, scoring 19 of his 21 points over the final frame, including hitting 3-of-7 from beyond the arc for a second-straight game and nailing 6-of-6 at the line in a game-high 34 minutes.
The Terriers move to 12-2 on the season when the Neenah, Wisc., native cans three or more deep balls.
Sophomore forward
Sam Godwin chipped in eight points and two rebounds, followed by senior
Ryan Larson with seven points, four rebounds and three assists.
Isaiah Bigelow added five points, four rebounds and an assist.
The Bears were led by Kamar Robertson with 18 points, followed by Felipe Haase (15) and James Glisson III (12).
After trailing by nine, 34-25, at the end of the first half, the Terriers came out the intermission fresh in busting an 11-0 run to take the lead after the under-16 media timeout (15:48), 36-34.
Klesmit and Mack opened with Wofford's first eight points to open the scoring, while
Sam Godwin muscled an and-one finish inside to convert at the line for the 36-34 edge. The momentum continued, seeing a Godwin steal lead to a big
Ryan Larson 3-pointer from
Isaiah Bigelow on the other end (41-38), as Bigelow and
Morgan Safford connected on back-to-back treys the next two trips to bust its largest lead of the night at 47-38 and force a Bears timeout by the 11:34 mark.
The Bears chipped away at the lead in bringing it to one possession at 48-45 (9:50), though, a Klesmit step-back three beat the shot clock to regain a 51-45 cushion. Mercer would erase the deficit with a 6-0 run to knot the game at 51-51 by the under-eight media (7:14), as Klesmit answered with yet another trey to take the lead back, 54-51.
Both teams exchanged baskets over a four-minute stretch, as consecutive layups from
B.J. Mack held a 62-56 lead with 2:13 remaining. Haase free throws came within four (62-58), though, a timely three-ball from
Max Klesmit and smooth short-corner fade-away jumper from Mack regained a seven-point edge at 67-60 with 48 seconds left.
From there, the Bears fouled to put the Terriers on the line, seeing Klesmit and Mack finish the game at the stripe for Wofford in going a combined 7-for-8 to pull away for the 74-67 win at the horn.
Wofford finishes the regular season with an 11-4 record at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, moving to an all-time record of 57-18 (.760) at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium since the venue's opening in 2017.
The Terriers await their seeding for next weekend's tournament, as ETSU-UNCG on Sunday, Feb. 27, will complete the Southern Conference regular season slate and determine seeding – seeing Wofford slated as a No. 5 seed upon an UNCG win or No. 4 seed upon an ETSU victory.
Regardless of seeding, Wofford (18-12, 10-8 SoCon) will prepare to play in next Saturday's (Mar. 5) quarterfinals matchup at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C. The 4/5 matchup is slated for a 2:30 p.m. start to be broadcast on Nexstar affiliates and ESPN+.
