Game 9: #1S Wofford 77, #2N Western Carolina 58
Box Score
Photo Slideshow
Postgame Quotes
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Terry Martin recorded 17 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench to lead Wofford to a 77-58 men's basketball victory over Western Carolina in the Southern Conference Tournament semifinals Sunday night at Time Warner Cable Arena.
The Terriers advance to Monday's 9 p.m. championship game, where they will face the winner of Appalachian State vs. College of Charleston in Time Warner Cable Arena. The game will be televised live on ESPN2, and the winner will secure the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Wofford has won its last 12 games and 18 of the last 19. It will be the Terriers' first appearance in the SoCon Tournament title game.
Martin was 6-for-8 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line to lead four Terriers in double figures in the scoring column. Jamar Diggs netted 12 points, while Noah Dahlman posted 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Tim Johnson finished with 10 points and six boards for Wofford (25-8), and Brad Loesing tallied nine points, five rebounds and four assists.
Harouna Mutombo led Western Carolina (22-11) with 18 points, and Richie Gordon collected 13 points and eight rebounds. Brandon Giles recorded 11 points and five rebounds.
The Terriers' inside game of Martin, Johnson and Dahlman was too much for the Catamounts. The trio combined to shoot 14-for-22 from the field as Wofford scored 40 points in the paint. The Terriers controlled the glass as well with a 40-30 rebounding advantage.
Wofford allowed the Catamounts just 35 percent shooting from the field and held one of Western Carolina's leading point producers, Jake Robinson, scoreless.
After Gordon opened the second half by making two free throws for Western Carolina, Martin scored eight points in a 15-4 spurt that opened a 48-33 lead for the Terriers with 11:29 remaining.
The Catamounts trimmed the margin to eight points on a Giles jumper with 5:49 remaining, but Diggs responded with four straight points for the Terriers. A Junior Salters runner off a Loesing assist on the fast break pushed the Wofford lead back to 62-48 with 3:35 to go.
Cameron Rundles, Diggs and Loesing combined to go 15-for-16 from the free throw line inside the last three minutes to ice the victory.
Leading 13-11, Wofford scored eight straight points to open a 21-12 cushion. Johnson scored four points during the run, and Diggs capped it with a pair of free throws with 9:15 left in the half.
The Catamounts responded with a 10-4 spurt to trim the margin to 25-22 with 3:48 remaining in the period. Mutombo had four points in the run. With the Terriers ahead 31-27, Rundles hit a layup with 14 seconds left in the frame, and Wofford led 33-27 at the break.
Wofford went inside early and often and wound up scoring 24 points in the paint for the half. The Terriers shot 56.5 percent from the floor and only took five 3-pointers without making any. The Catamounts were 11-for-30 from the field (36.7 percent).
Game Notes: Wofford improved to 6-11 in SoCon Tourney games... The Terriers tied the school record for wins in a season with 25, and their victory total is the most since moving to Division I in 1995-96... Western Carolina had one the only other meeting against Wofford this season, a 72-67 triumph Dec. 2... Western Carolina advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2000... The Catamounts' 22 wins are the most for the program since moving to Division I.