COLUMBIA, S.C. – Wofford guard Nathan Hoover scored a career-high 30 points, connecting on nine 3-pointers as the Terriers defeated South Carolina 81-61 on Monday night.
Seven players scored in the win, including freshman Ryan Larson, who totaled nine points while filling in for Storm Murphy (illness). Keve Aluma scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Cameron Jackson and Tray Hollowell each contributed 10 points.
In the win, Hoover eclipsed his previous high of 23 points (at Samford 2/7/18) and shattered his previous single-game high of five 3-pointers while adding three points from the free-throw line.
Wofford now sits at 5-2 on the season, hosting its first SoCon opponent of the year on Saturday when ETSU comes to Jerry Richardson Indoor Arena for a 7 p.m. tip.
Hoover was locked in right from the start, beginning the game with a 3-pointer and hitting a pair of free throws as Wofford jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Hoover and Aluma would continue the scoring as Wofford took a 13-4 advantage at the 11:49 mark.
The defense would make its presence felt as Cameron Jackson and Ryan Larson both stepped in to take charges, with Larson completing a 3-point play in the lane to make the score 19-6 in favor of Wofford.
South Carolina would fight back, going on a 14-2 run to cut the deficit to just one point. Hoover would hit his fourth 3 of half and Aluma answered with a timely putback to give Wofford a three-point lead going into the break.
Fletcher Magee, who had eight points and eight rebounds, opened up the second half by hitting his first 3-pointer of the night. After an Aluma dunk, Magee hit another 3-pointer as Wofford looked to pull away.
As South Carolina attempted to close the gap, going on an 8-3 run midway through the half, it was Hoover's hot shooting that kept the Gamecocks at bay, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and completing a 4-point play to extend the Wofford lead to 12.
Wofford continued to push the pace, getting a pair of buckets from Larson and an emphatic slam from Jackson to give Wofford the 81-61 victory.
The win is the second victory over South Carolina while under the guidance of Mike Young and the first since 2009, when the Terriers topped the Gamecocks 68-61 Benjamin Johnson Arena.