SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford men's basketball team (15-14, 9-7) fought to the final seconds but ultimately came up short in a 73-68 loss against ETSU (17-12, 10-6) on Saturday afternoon at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Corey Tripp led the last ditch effort, scoring 20 of the final 23 points from the Terriers.
 
Wofford had a tough day from the field, shooting 39.6 percent (21-53) from the field while ETSU shot 52.4 percent (22-42) on the afternoon. The Terriers knocked down 13 threes on 35 attempts, and the Bucs made seven on 14 tries. Wofford finished the day with 15 assists on 21 made baskets. Corey Tripp paced the team with four helpers while Kyler Filewich and Jackson Sivills dished out three each.
 
Two Terriers finished in double-digits as Corey Tripp tallied a career-high 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting. That is the first time a Terrier has scored 30 or more points since Nathan Hoover scored 31 against Chattanooga in 2020. Tripp knocked down six threes at a 50 percent clip and went 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. He scored 25 points in the final half including 20 of the final 23 points. Jackson Sivills followed behind with 14 points behind four triples.
 
ETSU won the battle on the glass, outrebounding Wofford 34-30. Kyler Filewich paced the team with nine rebounds along with five from Luke Flynn. The Bucs claimed the edge in the paint scoring-wise, too, as ETSU totaled 28 points in the paint compared to 14 by Wofford.
 
The Terriers claimed the turnover margin, forcing 12 ETSU turnovers that resulted in nine steals. Wofford committed nine turnovers. Dillon Bailey, Kyler Filewich, and Justin Bailey recorded two steals each to lead the team. Corey Tripp swatted two shots away along with one from Jeremy Lorenz.
 
The Terriers were the first ones to get on the board after Corey Tripp sunk a triple to start the game. ETSU would respond the next possession down with a three of its own, but Jackson Sivills and Justin Bailey kept the deep attack going with both players knocking down a three early. Another three-pointer from Jeremy Lorenz would give Wofford a 12-11 lead with 12:58 left in the first half.
 
After the Bucs gained the advantage on a deep ball, Jackson Sivills scored five-straight points to give Wofford a one-point lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the half. From there ETSU went on a run, scoring seven unanswered points and putting the Terriers in a drought that lasted over seven minutes of game time. Despite the cold stretch, a pair of three-pointers from Tripp and Sivills allowed Wofford to enter the break all knotted up with ETSU at 26 points.
Dillon Bailey knocked in three free throws after being fouled on a three to start the second half, giving the team a two-point lead early in the second stanza. ETSU tied the game up on the other end, but Corey Tripp nailed his third triple of the day to put the Terriers back in front.
 
The Bucs continued to respond and eventually went on a 14-2 run to take a 47-36 lead with 11:47 remaining in the contest. A couple of free throws from Tripp along with a three from Dillon Bailey shortened the deficit to six points. Wofford would hang around, keeping it under double digits until ETSU scored five consecutive points to get the lead back out to 11.
 
Kyler Filewich ended the skid with a floater and then Corey Tripp scored a basket with the foul to get the game to six points, 56-48, with 5:53 left. Corey Tripp began to trade baskets with the Bucs, scoring seven-straight himself. Tripp would score 13 points in the final 49 seconds. The team would get it within three points in the last three seconds with ETSU heading to the free throw line. The player missed both attempts, but an offensive rebound from the team would seal the game, resulting in a 73-68 loss.
 
The Terriers will be back in action on Wednesday, February 26, as the team will travel to Cullowhee, North Carolina, to take on Western Carolina at 7:00 p.m. Wofford will close out the regular season at home on Saturday, March 1, against Furman at 2:00 p.m. The game will serve as senior day.