SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Wofford men's basketball team dominated the paint to overcome a halftime deficit over the North Florida Ospreys on Wednesday night, 86-78, in Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in front of 1,738 fans.

The Terriers (3-2) were led by Kahmare Holmes' 21 points while four other Terriers reached double-digits. Luke Flynn and Holmes grabbed nine rebounds while Brian Sumpter had eight. Cayden Vasko led the team with six assists and four steals.

"When you have a night that you don't shoot the ball as well, especially in the first half, you have to get those second-chance opportunities," said head coach Kevin Giltner. "This is a game of possessions, and that is obviously a way to get more possessions."

How It Happened
The Terriers got off to a slow shooting start, only getting their first bucket just short of the three-minute mark. They went on to score the next three buckets of the game to earn their first lead of the game. The first media timeout did not occur until the ten-minute mark. 15 threes, half of the field goal attempts, were fired off in that time. The teams seemed to battle back and forth in the early stages of the game, exchanging scores until the Ospreys went on an 8-0 run after the second media timeout. Luke Flynn ended the run, bringing the gap to five points with six minutes left in the half.

Flynn's make from behind the arc sparked a 9-3 revenge run for the Terriers, led by two makes from Kahmare Holmes. Despite a three-pointer from the Osprey, Wofford continued to carry their momentum, grabbing another five points before the final timeout of the half. In the final three minutes of the half, only three buckets dropped, but North Florida walked into the locker rooms with a one-point advantage, 34-35. Wofford was a dominant force in the offensive paint in the first half, scoring 24 points in the paint and grabbing seven offensive rebounds. They had 10 second-chance points.

Cayden Vasko kicked off scoring for the Terriers in the second half, and just one possession later, Holmes converted two free throws to grab the lead back. It was short-lived as the Ospreys drained a three on their next possession. Wofford refused to be stopped as Vasko and Flynn landed critical shots to bring the game tied at a 15-minute media timeout.

The Terriers went ahead four separate times before finding the momentum to pull away from the Osprey. Chace Watley found two layups and a dish to fellow freshman, Brian Sumpter, for a dunk to put the Terriers up six points going into the next stoppage. Sumpter would continue to use his athleticism to his advantage, scoring two more buckets before the under-eight media timeout.

Scoring seemed to slow down over the next period, but in a burst of possessions, both teams went back and forth, scoring buckets in six of the next seven possessions. Kahmare Holmes came out of the stretch with two driving layups after blazing past his defenders. North Florida was not rolling over, grabbing a 7-2 run to bring the game back within ten points. The foul game would commence with 90 seconds left in the game, with the Terriers up by eight. Wofford would combine from the line, going nine for 12, to nullify the three three-pointers from North Florida. The final whistle blew, 86-78.

Inside the Numbers

• Starters: Cayden Vasko, Luke Flynn, Brian Sumpter, Kahmare Holmes, Nils Machowski. This is the third time this starting lineup has appeared for the Terriers.
• The Terriers have won both home games, scoring 86 points.
• Wofford has shot 50 pct. from the field in consecutive games.
• Kahmare Holmes scored his third 20-point game and third three-steal game of the season.
• Five Terriers reached double-figure scoring in consecutive games.

Up Next
The Terriers are back in action on Friday, November 21, in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Wofford will host the Erskine College Flying Fleet at 7 p.m. Listen along at wofford.leanplayer.com or watch on ESPN+.