SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Wofford men's basketball team fell in overtime to The Citadel Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon, 93-90, in Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Regulation time was not enough to separate the teams, but the Terriers were unable to hold off the Bulldogs.
The Terriers (19-12, 11-7) were led by
Nils Machowski's 30 points and another 25 from
Kahmare Holmes.
Rex Stirling pulled down a career-high nine rebounds. Holmes and Stirling had four assists each.
Chace Watley had a game-high four steals, also swatting one away.
How It Happened
Cayden Vasko kicked off scoring for the Terriers with a three-pointer from the wing. Both teams struggled to find an offensive groove in the opening minutes, with Wofford going two for seven from the field while The Citadel went three for five. The Bulldogs came out of the first media timeout with a 6-0 run, holding Wofford from scoring for nearly three minutes.
Chace Watley ended their streak with a layup, sparking three consecutive possessions that ended with the Terriers finding points. The Bulldogs headed into the under-12-minute media timeout with the edge, 18-14.
Another 6-0 run from the Bulldogs out of the break led to a timeout called from the Wofford bench. The Terriers were able to grab multiple stops and convert on offense to close an eight-point deficit down to two. It took three more minutes before Wofford was able to tie the game up, 32-32, with just over four minutes remaining in the half. The lead came one and a half minutes later with a lay-up from
Rex Stirling. With the clock winding down in the half, The Citadel was able to bring things back to even with a driving layup, 39-39 at halftime.
Vasko found the first points of the half for the Terriers with another three from the wing.
Nils Machowski followed up shortly after with a three-pointer of his own to maintain the Wofford lead for a short time before the Bulldogs could grab a three of their own to snag the lead back before the first media timeout. The Terrier offense fell out of rhythm for three minutes until Machowski drained back-to-back three-pointers for his fifth and sixth made three-pointers of the game. Wofford was able to hold onto a lead shortly, but The Citadel snatched it back before the under-12-minute media timeout, 57-53.
Kahmare Holmes closed the gap to two with a three-pointer, but the Bulldogs held off the Terriers. Despite this, Wofford would not let any separation, keeping it within six points between the media timeouts. That trend ended shortly after the break, with the Bulldogs able to go up by eight points. Machowski cut the deficit to five with his seventh three-pointer of the day before Wofford called a timeout with 5:30 left to play, 75-70.
Stirling seemed to be the dynamo that Wofford needed, grabbing multiple offensive rebounds and layups to keep the Terriers in striking distance.
Kahmare Holmes hit a crucial corner three with 1:54 left to play to keep Wofford within five points of the Bulldogs. Holmes contested a rebound with the resulting jump ball, giving Wofford the ball.
Kahmare Holmes was fouled on the next play, going two for two from the line. A crucial stop on the other end of the court allowed Holmes to finish a step-back jumper to put the Terriers within one point of the Bulldogs. The Citadel went one for two from the line after getting fouled up, allowing Holmes to make a lay-up to tie the game and send it to overtime, 83-83.
The Citadel struck first in overtime, but Wofford answered with four straight points, leading to a timeout from the Bulldog bench. Neither team could score on two straight possessions until Machowski finished a put-back attempt. The Bulldogs struck back with back-to-back threes, taking the lead. The Citadel went two for two from the line after stealing the ball and being fouled to ice the game, 93-90.
Inside the Numbers
Up Next
The Terriers will play their first game in the Southern Conference Tournament on Saturday. Results around the conference will determine seeding. Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina, will be the home of the SoCon Tournament. Listen along on the Wofford Digital Network or watch along on ESPN+ or your Nexstar Affiliate.
