MILWAUKEE, Wi. – The Wofford men's basketball team (2-3) rode a hot first half to defeat the St. Thomas Tommies (3-3) 81-73 on Friday night at the UWM Panther Arena. The Terriers held a 43-33 lead at the end of the first stanza, leading to a win in game one of the Cream City Challenge.
 
Wofford was led by four double-digit scorers, with Justin Bailey scoring a season-high 18 points to pace the team. Kyler Filewich followed behind with 14 points, along with 12 points from Corey Tripp – all of which were in the second half. Dillon Bailey rounded out the group with 11 points.
 
The team shot a season-best 54.5 percent (30-55) from the field, just the first time the Terriers have eclipsed 50 percent shooting this season. Wofford also shot a season-high 45.5 percent (10-22) from deep, going 8-for-16 in the first half. St. Thomas finished the night at 41.5 percent (22-53) shooting, including just 36.7 percent in the final half. The team took 31 three-point attempts, cashing in on 10 of them.
 
The Terriers held a stout advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Tommies 39-26. Kyler Filewich led the rebounding efforts, grabbing 10 boards to notch his third double-double of the season. Jeremy Lorenz also had a fine night on the glass, totaling eight rebounds to go along with eight points. Belal El Shakery grabbed six rebounds.
 
"We've talked about being tougher and playing harder," said head coach Dwight Perry of his team's toughness and physicality tonight. "I thought we did a great job of that this game. We had 40 points in the paint and outrebounded St. Thomas by 13, and I think that is a great illustration of our guys buying into the game plan – being tougher, playing harder and doing it more together."
 
The Tommies jumped on the board first, but it was Justin Bailey answering the call on the other end, knocking his first triple of the game to tie it at 3-3. A three-pointer by the other Bailey, Dillon, along with a nice finish from Kyler Filewich saw the Terriers take an 8-5 lead. Justin Bailey continued his strong start, scoring eight of the first 13 points for the team.
 
"We were getting great looks," said Justin Bailey. "Our camaraderie and the great energy made it easy for us to make open shots. It feels great to get the win, but we have two more, so we have to continue to stay locked in."
 
A pair of three-pointers from both Justin Bailey and Luke Flynn helped Wofford climb up to a seven-point lead with 11:37 left in the half. St. Thomas responded with a quick five-point swing in its favor, cutting the deficit to two. The teams traded baskets for several minutes, with the Tommies taking a 27-26 lead with just under seven minutes of action left in the first half.
 
Wofford responded with eight unanswered points, which was highlighted by five-straight from Anthony Arrington, Jr. After a couple of St. Thomas scores, the Terriers scored another seven unanswered points to take a 13-point lead, Wofford's largest lead of the game. The Terriers would go into the break leading 43-33.
 
The Terriers had a strong showing offensively in the first stanza, shooting 54.8 percent (17-31) from the field and 8-16 from downtown. Justin Bailey and Kyler Filewich led the first-half efforts, scoring 13 and 11 points, respectively. The ball movement was prevalent in the first 20 minutes, as the team assisted on 12 of the 17 made baskets.
 
St. Thomas opened the second half with a quick three-pointer, but Corey Tripp found room on the other end to score his first points of the evening. The Tommies continued to apply constant pressure on the Terriers, cutting the lead to just five points at the 15-minute mark in the latter half.
 
"I was able to get my guys involved early in the first half," said Corey Tripp on his 12-point second half. "That opened the floor up for me in the second half. It took the focus off me for a little bit, and I was able to make plays down the stretch."
 
Jeremy Lorenz, the Brillion, Wisconsin, native, gave the team some breathing room after a three-pointer to get the lead back to eight. UST stayed aggressive, slashing the Wofford lead to three points with under 12 minutes to play. An 8-0 run by a pair of scores from both Justin Bailey and Jackson Sivills stretched the advantage out to 11 points.
 
Wofford held a 12-point lead with six minutes of action left, but St. Thomas kept it interesting, closing in on the Terriers in the final minute. With just 55 seconds remaining, Wofford held a 78-73 lead over the Tommies. After a trio of free throws were made, along with several stops strung together, The Terriers would go on to defeat St. Thomas 81-73 in the first game of the Cream City Challenge.
 
The Terriers will partake in game two of the Cream City Challenge tomorrow, Saturday, November 23, against the tournament host, Milwaukee. The game is set for 4:00 p.m. eastern time.