MACON, Ga. - The Wofford men's basketball team fell for the first time in conference play against the Mercer Bears on Saturday afternoon, 97-109, in Hawkins Arena.

The Terriers (11-6, 3-1) were led by Nils Machowski's 33 points, while Kahmare Holmes reached 22. Machowski also had five assists, Holmes had eight rebounds and two assists. Cayden Vasko had 18 points, four assists, and five rebounds. Chace Watley had 15 points off the bench.

"We have some things that we have to fix, and it's not going to be fixed overnight," head coach Kevin Giltner. "If we can continue to get incrementally better throughout January and February, we can do something pretty cool. I think we are pretty good offensively, but we are playing with fire just trying to outscore people."

How It Happened
Nils Machowski opened the scoring with a three-pointer on his first attempt. Mercer responded with a quick 7-0 run, getting key stops in the process. Kahmare Holmes kicked things back up for the Terriers with a mid-range attempt, followed by another Machowski three on the next possession. The Bears continued to stay hot in the early parts of the game, hitting six straight field goals, including three from behind the arc. Steals on back-to-back defensive possessions gave the Terriers relief with a 6-0 run.

Wofford came out of the second media timeout down, 14-21. Machowski hit a three on the first possession out of the stoppage. The three was Wofford's friend as Mercer's size advantage was apparent in the paint. Mercer grabbed a ten-point lead, but Wofford did not sit back, grabbing a 10-4 run to bring it back within five. The Bears hit right back with a 9-0 run, stopping the Terriers on four straight possessions.

With four minutes on the clock in the half, Wofford was down, 30-44. Chace Watley tried to set the tone for this final stretch, stealing the ball and drawing two shots from the line on the other end. Two missed second-chance opportunities gave Mercer the chance to expand its lead on the other end. Each possession that Wofford was able to find a bucket, Mercer found a way to counter on the other end. As time dwindled, Machowski fired away one last three, shortening the Mercer lead to 12 points before halftime, 46-58.

Wofford started off the second half with a 10-4 run, thanks to two turnovers from the Bears, to bring the game back within six points. Five fouls were called before the first media timeout of the half, as seven players had two or more personal fouls across the teams. Wofford's offense kept hot out of the stoppage, scoring on five straight possessions, bringing the Bears' lead under five points for the first time since the 11th minute of the first half. Mercer called a timeout as Wofford continued to claw back, 69-73.

The Terriers were able to hold the Bears to only two field goals between the media timeouts. Despite this, Mercer maintained an 8-7 edge over the four minutes. In a flash, Mercer scored nine points in four possessions to give them a ten-point lead once again. Clinical finishing from the line kept the Terriers within reach as they went 8 of 10 in the minutes leading up to the final media timeout.

The final four minutes of the game saw Wofford down, 86-91. Brian Sumpter was able to prevent a turnover and converted it for a major slam dunk. The Bears kept the separation thanks to a 7-0 run. Wofford found itself down 12 points with just under two minutes left. Machowski and Vasko drained threes before the Terriers began a full-court press. The Terriers barreled down the court with Machowski and Holmes finding points, but it was not enough. The Bears went 9 of 12 from the line over the stretch to hold off any late push. The final whistle blew, 97-109.

Inside the Numbers

• Starters: Cayden Vasko, Brian Sumpter, Luke Flynn, Kahmare Holmes, Nils Machowski.
• Wofford let up 58 points in the first half, the most in a half this season.
• Nils Machowski had 18 points by halftime, shooting 6-7 from behind the arc.
• The Terriers are now 1-6 when trailing at halftime.
• The Terriers have scored 95+ points in three straight games.
• Wofford had not lost after scoring 90 or more points in this century, not including overtime games.

Up Next
The Terriers return to Spartanburg, South Carolina, on Wednesday night in Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Wofford hosts the Chattanooga Mocs in a midweek SoCon matchup, with tip-off set for 6 p.m. Listen along on the Wofford Digital Network or watch on ESPN+.