GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Wofford men's basketball team was defeated by the UNC Greensboro Spartans on Saturday evening, 99-89, in Bodford Arena.

The Terriers (17-10, 9-5) were led by Nils Machowski's 24 points and a career-high 19 points from Maximo Ortega. Machowski pulled down 13 rebounds and dished out three assists. Brian Sumpter and Brendan Rigsbee had a block each, while three Terriers had a steal.

How It Happened
Wofford started off slow, turning the ball over twice before scoring their first bucket after the first media timeout. UNCG scored 13 of its own in that time. The offense continued to stutter for the Terriers after their first four points, but the defensive effort picked up, holding the Spartans to six points between the media timeouts for a 17-4 score at the 12:05 mark.

Wofford began stringing together offensive possessions thanks to strong finishes by Max Ortega and Chace Watley. The Terriers went on a 10-0 run to chip away at the Spartan lead, bringing it down to five points at the seven-minute mark. Coming out of the final media timeout with a six-point lead, UNCG burst to life with a 6-0 run before the Terriers found their next points. Wofford's only points in the final stretch of the half came from the line, as the Spartans built on their lead further. The teams went into the locker room with the Terriers down, 47-30.

Brian Sumpter grabbed the first points in the second half with a strong layup. The Spartans were able to push their lead to over 20 points early in the half. Wofford was able to find consecutive points before the first media timeout with makes from Vasko and Nils Machowski. The stoppage did not slow down the offensive momentum as Machowski and Vasko drained threes on back-to-back possessions. Wofford further reduced the Spartan lead to 12 points with 12 minutes left in the game at 64-52.

Wofford entered the bonus early in the half, as they went six for seven from the line. The Terriers cut the lead to 11, but the Spartans found a string of possessions to push Wofford back to an 18-point deficit. Ortega scored one, but it was not enough to disrupt the offensive flow of UNCG as they would score another six before Machowski drained a three. With 5:19 minutes in the game, Wofford called a timeout in hopes of sparking a shift in the final minutes down 83-64.

Vasko converted an and-one play as Wofford ensued a full-court press. The Terriers were able to force two turnovers and cut the lead to 14 before calling another timeout with 3:14 to play. Ortega took things into his own hands, scoring seven of Wofford's next nine points. Jayden Tyler was able to drain the corner three to cut the lead to 12 points before Wofford used another timeout with 1:48 left on the clock. The press was not enough as Wofford fell on the road, 99-89.

Inside the Numbers

• Starters: Cayden Vasko, Brian Sumpter, Chace Watley, Brenden Rigsbee, Nils Machowski.
• Brian Sumpter's block brings him to 39 for the season. This pushes into the lone fourth place in blocks in a season.
• 17 points was the largest deficit held by the Terriers at halftime during conference play.
• Wofford has allowed 95 or more points in consecutive games.
• Nils Machowski had his fifth double-double of the season while setting a new career-high in rebounds with 13.

Up Next
The Terriers return to Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on Wednesday, February 18, to host the VMI Keydets with tip-off set for 6 p.m. Listen along on the Wofford Digital Network or watch on ESPN+ and CW62.