CULLOWHEE, N.C. - The Wofford men's basketball team was defeated 57-56 by Western Carolina on Monday night at the Ramsey Center. The Terriers had a seven point lead with seven minutes remaining, but the Catamounts then outscored Wofford 14-6 and hit the game-winning shot with two seconds on the clock.
Wofford moves to 10-16 on the season and 4-9 in the Southern Conference. Western Carolina is 10-15 overall and 7-6 in the SoCon. The Terriers were led by Spencer Collins with 20 points, while Karl Cochran added 19 points. Lee Skinner had a team-high ten rebounds. The Catamounts were led by Trey Sumler with 26 points, 18 of which were in the second half.
The Catamounts opened the game with a three pointer, but Wofford answered with a three by Karl Cochran. Western Carolina added two more three pointers and had an 11-6 lead after five minutes of play. Two free throws by Aerris Smith and a jumper by Spencer Collins cut the lead to 11-10, but the Catamounts had a 15-12 advantage at the 10:47 mark. A three pointer by Karl Cochran tied the game at 15 with 10:13 left in the first half.
Western Carolina scored the next eight points to take a 23-15 lead at the 6:26 mark. Wofford ended the run with a dunk by Jarell Byrd. Another bucket by Byrd and two free throws by Lee Skinner cut the lead to 23-21 with just over two minutes remaining. Two free throws by Indiana Faithfull made it a 25-23 score with 28 seconds on the clock. After a technical foul on the Catamount bench with four seconds left, Karl Cochran missed both free throws. Western Carolina's Trey Sumler hit a three pointer at the buzzer, but missed the free throw, for a 28-23 lead at the half.
To begin the second half, the Catamounts pushed the lead to 30-23. Wofford used a quick 6-1 run to make it a 31-29 score after a bucket by Spencer Collins. Western Carolina had a 35-29 advantage after four minutes. A three pointer by Spencer Collins cut the lead to 35-32 and two free throws by Karl Cochran with 12:28 on the clock made it a 37-36 game. Two more buckets by Spencer Collins gave the Terriers a 40-37 lead at the 10:51 mark.
Three pointers by Spencer Collins and Karl Cochran gave the Terriers a 46-41 advantage at the ten minute mark of the second half. Wofford pushed the lead to 48-41 after two free throws by Lee Skinner and had a 50-43 lead with a shot by Karl Cochran. The Catamounts answered with the next seven points to tie the score at 50 with 2:20 remaining. Wofford ended the run with a pair of free throws by Indiana Faithfull, but Trey Sumler answered with a three pointer for a 53-52 Catamount lead with 1:56 on the clock. The teams traded buckets and then Wofford had a 56-55 lead after a jumper in the lane by Spencer Collins with 16 seconds left. Trey Sumler hit a long jumper with 2.3 seconds remaining for a 57-56 and Wofford was unable to get a final shot off.
Wofford shot 41 percent from the floor while Western Carolina shot 42 percent overall. The Terriers were 5-of-15 from with three, while the Catamounts were 6-of-17 from behind the arc. Western Carolina was 7-of-11 from the line while Wofford was 15-of-21 on free throws. The Catamounts had a 35 to 26 lead on the glass.
Chattanooga 62, Samford 59 (OT)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Lance Stokes scored a career-high 13 points in the Chattanooga Mocs (10-15, 5-7 SoCon) 62-59 overtime win over visiting Samford (8-17, 6-6 SoCon) Monday night. Stokes not only sparked the team offensively, he was a game-changer on defense.
After the Bulldogs opened seven of eight from the field, Stokes moved over to defend Samford guard Raijon Kelly. From then on, the visitors shot 14 of 41 from the floor.
That quick outburst helped the Bulldogs jump out to an early 11-point lead. The closest the Mocs would get the rest of the opening 20 minutes was seven points trailing 32-25 at intermission.
UTC scored the first six points of the second frame to cut it to one, 32-31, on Drazen Zlovaric's three-point play. Gee McGhee evened the score at 35-all two possessions later at the free throw line.
The game see-sawed back and forth from there. Physical defense made either offense earn every point. Brandon Hayman's hook shot at 7:46 gave Samford a two-point advantage, 48-46.
Chattanooga scored the next five points as it held the Bulldogs scoreless for an extended run. Two Ronrico White free throws with 4:33 to play gave his squad their largest lead of five, 53-48.
Tim Williams ended a 5:28 drought with a layup at 2:18. Next trip down, Tyler Hood drained his only three of the game to knot it up at 53-all.
Stokes put the Mocs on top again with 53 ticks left on a layup. Williams tied it up, 55-55, 11 seconds later. After a UTC miss, Samford set up a final play with just over six seconds left in regulation. Kelly's three-pointer over Zlovaric was off the mark providing free basketball to a crowd that included a very enthusiastic group of students.
Zlovaric got the ball rolling with a jump hook at 4:01 for the 57-55 lead. The Mocs would not trail again. Stokes hit one of two free throws for a three-point cushion nearly a minute later. Kelly cut it to one twice in the final minute, but McGhee and White held the Bulldogs at bay hitting free throws for the 62-59 win.
McGhee scored 14 to lead the Mocs, all in the second half. He played just three minutes in the opening 20 due to foul trouble. Zlovaric matched Stokes' 13 while adding seven rebounds and two assists. Kelly led all scorers with 19 for Samford. Williams posted 14, as Clide Geffrard, Jr., chipped in 12.
Z. Mason a phenomenal Chattanooga effort on the glass with nine. UTC had a 21-rebound advantage, 43-22. White tallied a career high-tying six assists adding eight points and five boards.
The Mocs shot 42.1 percent (24-57) tonight but just one of 14 from three-point range. The squad converted on 52.3 percent (23-44) of their attempts inside the arc. Samford shot 42.9 percent (21-49) for the game, a mere 19.0 percent (4-21) from three-point range.
Appalachian State 72, Furman 66
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State men's basketball defeated Furman, 72-66 at the Holmes Center on Monday as four Mountaineers tallied 14 points on the night.
The Mountaineers (11-13, 7-6 SoCon) kept themselves in the hunt for the Southern Conference North Division crown with the victory over the Paladins (6-17, 3-9).
App State came out strong against the Paladins as it earned the lead early in the half, going up as many as 18 with 4:13 left on a Nathan Healy jumper.
The Mountaineers took a 34-28 lead into the locker room, as Mike Neal added nine points and Michael Obacha had eight, going two-for-two from the charity stripe in the first half.
Furman would start a comeback in the second half, but was unable to overcome the early deficit and never led for the entire contest.
The Paladins came within three two times late in the second, but Appalachian answered at every turn, sending Furman to its fourth-straight defeat.
The Black and Gold converted four-straight free throws to take a six-point lead (70-64) with just 16 seconds to go.
Furman's Kendrec Ferrara drove to the net to bring the Paladins within four but it would not be enough as they were forced to foul Neal, who would make both his shots from the free throw line allowing App State to take the 72-66 victory.
Obacha, Healy, Jay Canty and Neal all ended the night with 14 points, while Tab Hamilton and Tevin Baskin each added five points. Healy pulled down 12 rebounds and blocked two shots, recording his sixth double-double of the season.
The Paladins were paced by a game-high 20 points from Stephen Croone, who finished 10-of-13 from the free-throw line. Larry Wideman added 11 while Ferrara and Bobby Austin each had 10.
Appalachian shot 47.1 percent (24-of-51) from the floor on the night and converted 19-of-25 free throws while the Paladins finished at 43.1 percent (22-of-51). The Mountaineers ended the night with a 35-31 edge on the boards and dished out 10 assists to Furman's nine.