Wofford 55, NC State 54
RALEIGH, N.C. – Junior Justin Gordon hit the winning bucket with 1.9 seconds to play and NC State’s last-second shot was waved off as the Wofford men’s basketball team rallied to stun the Wolfpack, 55-54, Sunday evening at Reynolds Coliseum.
Wofford inbounded the ball down a point with 6.7 on the clock. Junior Spencer Collins had an open look from 15 feet, but made the unselfish pass to Gordon at the rim to put the Terriers ahead.
NC State called time to set up the potential game-winning shot. Trevor Lacey caught the inbounds pass at half court, took two dribbles forward and attempted 3-pointer at the buzzer that went in and triggered a raucous Wolfpack celebration.
It didn’t count.
After a two-minute replay review, the officials waved off the basket, indicating Lacey’s hands were still on the ball with the clock showing all zeros.
Wofford (8-2) could finally celebrate, handing NC State (8-2) its first loss in Reynolds Coliseum since 1999 – the Wolfpack were previously 14-0 since moving the majority of their home games to PNC Arena.
The Terriers had nine offensive rebounds to just three for NC State, resulting in a 9-0 advantage in second chance points. Wofford also came away with seven steals and won the turnover battle 11-4, outscoring the Wolfpack 13-0 in points off turnovers.
Senior Karl Cochran led the Terriers in every statistical category. The Marietta, Georgia native had a team-high 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks, playing all but three minutes. Cochran’s three rejections tied a career-high he last earned as a freshman.
Gordon, Collins and senior Lee Skinner all finished with six points. Sophomore Eric Garcia was the only other Terrier to reach double figures with 10 points, shooting 3-for-5 and hitting all four of his free throws.
Wake Forest 86, Samford 68
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Samford University basketball team trailed by just three points, 47-44, early in the second half, but the homestanding Wake Forest Demon Deacons closed out Sunday’s game with a 39-24 run to earn the 86-68 non-conference victory over the Bulldogs in front of 6,973 fans at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
In the loss, Samford (3-8) finished with two players scoring in double figures. Senior forward Tyler Hood paced the Bulldogs with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, while sophomore guard Nnamdi Enechionyia tallied 12 of his 15 points in the first half.
Combined, Samford’s Hood and Enechionyia drained seven 3-point baskets and finished 7-of-14 from beyond the arc.
Enechionyia, the Bulldogs’ 6-foot-6 sharpshooter from Springfield, Virginia, went a perfect 3-for-3 from long range Sunday. He also pulled down two rebounds, but committed four turnovers in 28 minutes of playing time. Hood finished 4-of-11 from 3-point range and pulled down a rebound in 28 minutes of game action.
Samford shot nearly 60 percent from the field in the first half and knocked down five 3-point baskets in the opening 20 minutes of play.
In the second half, the Bulldogs only connected on 37.9 of their attempts from the floor and went 3-of-12 from long range.
On the first possession of the second half, Hood swished a 3-point field goal to trim Wake Forest’s lead to 47-44 with 19:43 left in the game. The Demon Deacons then used a 3-pointer from Mitchell Wilbekin and back-to-back layups from Devin Thomas to quickly extend its lead back out to 10 points at 54-44.
Thomas, Wake Forest’s 6-foot-9 junior from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, registered his second-best scoring output of the season with a game-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. He also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds and handed out a pair of assists.
Thomas’ best scoring performance of the season occurred in his 2014-15 opener against UNC Asheville with 25.
Wake Forest shot a steady 43.8 percent from the floor in the second half and extended its lead to 71-54 with a layup from Dinos Mitoglou.
Late in the game, Samford would trim the Demon Deacons lead to 72-60 following a 3-point basket from Enechionyia, but Wake Forest answered with a pair of free throws from Codi Miller-McIntyre and a deep 3-pointer from Rondale Watson.
The Demon Deacons continued to hold off the Bulldogs’ late rallies and eventually posted their 86-68 non-conference decision.
Wake Forest controlled the intangibles Sunday and shot 21 more free throws than the Bulldogs. The Demon Deacons went to the line 32 times, compared to 11 for Samford.
Additionally, Wake Forest finished ahead in the following categories: points in the paint, 48-28; points off turnovers, 23-11; second-chance points, 16-8, and fast-break points, 22-2.
Samford true freshman Christen Cunningham scored nine points and dished out a game-high six assists Sunday, while fellow frosh Evan Taylor came off the bench to drop in eight quick points and grab five rebounds in only 18 minutes.