GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Wofford men's basketball team (12-11, 6-4) used a strong defensive effort to take down the UNCG Spartans (14-9, 7-3) at First Horizon Coliseum on Saturday evening by a 74-62 margin. The Terriers had an eight-point advantage at the half and then used a 20-2 run early in the second half to build a lead that the Spartans could not overcome.
 
The Terriers limited the Spartans to 39 percent shooting from the field en route to the team's first win in Greensboro since 2021. Wofford shot 63.2 percent from three, the best output from deep against a Division I opponent since the team shot 81 percent (17-21) against VMI in 2016.
 
"I was really proud of our team's mentality in this game," said head coach Dwight Perry on the win. "To get a road win in this league, that speaks volumes to the guys in this program. It wasn't perfect tonight, but we controlled what we can control."
 
The Terriers outshot the Spartans, as the team finished the night 42.6 percent (23-54) from the field and an astounding 63.2 percent (12-19) from deep. UNCG entered the night ranked fifth in the nation in three-point percentage defense, allowing only 28 percent of threes to go in. Wofford held UNCG to 39 percent (23-59) from the field and 30.4 percent (7-23) from three. The Terriers also outshot UNCG at the line, finishing the night 16-of-20 compared to 9-of-16 by the Spartans.
 
Two Terriers finished the night in double-digits with Corey Tripp pacing the team at 18 points. The senior guard hit four threes on five attempts on the way to his highest scoring game in conference play this season. Dillon Bailey followed behind with 15 points, including seven points at the charity stripe. Justin Bailey scored nine points along with eight from Kyler Filewich.
 
"Coming into the game it was all about getting our mentality back," said Corey Tripp. "We knew they were never going to stop fighting. We feel great after tonight. We're ready to get back to work and prepare for the next opponent"
 
UNCG won the battle on the glass, outrebounding Wofford 39-33. Justin Bailey had a team-high seven rebounds on the night, tying his career best. Corey Tripp and Kyler Filewich trailed behind with five each. The team totaled 13 assists on 23 made field goals, as Kyler Filewich and Kahmare Holmes paced the team with three helpers each. Holmes had an all-around night, scoring seven points and grabbing two rebounds to go along with his three assists.
 
Wofford won the turnover margin, forcing 12 UNCG turnovers compared to nine by the Terriers. Justin Bailey led the team on the defensive end, swiping three steals. Corey Tripp, Jackson Sivills, and Dillon Bailey also recorded one apiece. Filewich tallied one block as well.
 
Corey Tripp started the scoring for both squads with a three-pointer on the first possession of the game. UNCG answered at the other end with a dunk, but it was Dillon Bailey hitting a three to give the team back-to-back deep balls to start the contest. The Spartans gained their first lead of the night after scoring five-straight to make it a 7-6 game in favor of UNCG with 16:42 remaining in the first stanza.
 
The Terriers gained the advantage for the next six minutes after Kyler Filewich scored his first points of the game. The Spartans would take their last lead of the game at the 10:35 mark, but Justin Bailey knocked in a free throw to tie it up at 16-all with 9:55 left. UNCG leveled the game once more with a free throw on the next possession for the final tie of the contest.
 
A pair of threes from freshmen Luke Flynn and Kahmare Holmes were the beginning of three-straight triples by Wofford in what was a 9-2 run. Justin Bailey scored the last three-pointer as the team went up 26-19 with six minutes left in the half. The Terriers would head into the break leading 35-27.
 
UNCG opened the second half with a bucket, but it was all Wofford for the next eight minutes as the team went on a 20-2 run. The Terriers kept the Spartans without a field goal for 7:10 of gametime. During that run, Wofford jumped out to a 24-point lead, taking a 55-31 advantage with 12:14 left in the game.
 
The Spartans rattled off a nine-point run to try and answer the big second half start from the Terriers, but Wofford answered with a pair of three-pointers with the shot clock winding down from Corey Tripp. UNCG cut the deficit to 10 points with just over two minutes remaining, but Wofford was able to close out the game and earn its third road win of SoCon play in a 74-62 victory.
 
The Terriers will be back at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on Wednesday, February 5, as the team will take on Chattanooga at 7:00 p.m. on ESPNU. The last meeting between the teams featured an 83-81 loss in an overtime heartbreaker.