Wofford scores 55 in 2nd half to run away from Gardner-Webb

By Jacob Conley (@gwujake)

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Wofford exploded for 55 points in the second half to pull away from Gardner-Webb Wednesday, 81-66.

Dillon Bailey led the Terriers with 20 points while Jackson Sivills was not far behind with 19. Those efforts helped offset a big night from Julien Soumaoro, who poured in 26 points, one off of his career high.

“Anytime you can get a road win against a well-coached team like Gardner-Webb, it’s huge,” Wofford coach Dwight Perry said. “I don’t think people really appreciate how difficult it is. We got physical with Gardner-Webb in the second half and then we saw some shots go through the basket. That gave us confidence.” 

The teams traded triples to start the contest but cooled off considerably. A three from Bailey gave the Terriers a slim 7-5 lead at the initial media stoppage. Shahar Lazer gave Gardner-Webb its first lead at 8-7, but Wofford answered with a 10-0 run, forcing a Gardner-Webb timeout. Caleb Robinson broke the run with a driving layup and canned a pair of free throws 

Robinson continued to get to the rim, but the Runnin’ Bulldogs were frigid from the field, as they were shooting just 4-for-24 at the five-minute mark of the first half. Lazer ended the field goal drought with a three, but Wofford’s Kyle Filewich slammed home a dunk to put his team in front, 26-18, with 3:12 left before the break. Robinson followed with an old-fashioned three-point play and DQ Nicholas drained a shot from beyond the arc. Wofford then tried to hold for the final shot of the half, but forgot to cross the timeline. After the 10-second call, Nicholas made the Terriers pay, hitting another three to give the hosts a 29-26 halftime lead.   

Bailey tied the score with a three to start the second half, but Soumaoro converted a rare four-point play  to put the home team back in front. The shots kept falling for both teams, as Sivills’ triple put Wofford up 41-38 with 15:24 remaining in the game. Wofford’s lead grew to 47-38 before a Nicholas steal and layup, but the Bulldog defense seemed to desert Gardner-Webb as it allowed more points in the first 10 minutes of the second half than the entire first half. A Sivills three gave Wofford a 55-42 advantage before Nicholas converted a three-point play, followed by a driving layup and 3-pointer. His flurry cut the deficit to 60-55, with 5:46 remaining in the contest. 

Soumaoro followed with a jumper, but Wofford scored four straight second-chance points to lead 64-57 at the final media stoppage. Bailey hit a big three later in the contest that essentially sealed the game for the Terriers. 

Solid Defense To Start: Tim Craft and the rest of the Runnin’ Bulldogs pride themselves on team defense, and for the first 20 minutes, the pack line worked to perfection. Gardner-Webb clogged the middle, coming away with nine steals in the first half that were converted into 12 points. 

“I was really proud of the defense in the first half,” he said. “Shots were not falling, but we were able to stay locked in and we scrapped. We took the lead going to the locker room and we were feeling pretty good about where we were at.” 

But Then Things Fell Apart: Wofford shot a jaw-dropping 66.6 percent from the field in the second half, much to the consternation of Craft. 

“You have to give Wofford credit,” Craft said. “I think they hit three threes to start the second half and that caused our guys to jump out and overcommit on shooters. We lost our defensive principles in the second half, so that’s something we will focus on in practice tomorrow.” 

One And Done: Gardner-Webb had the chance to win consecutive games for the first time this season, but failed to do so. 

“We certainly want to start stinging together some wins,” Craft said. “We had a chance tonight and did not get the job done. We have had several chances this season and let it slip through our fingers. We have one of the toughest schedules in the country, but that is no excuse. We have to be more consistent.” 

Up Next: Wofford (4-5) travels to Western Carolina Saturday, while Gardner-Webb (4-6) stays at home, hosting North Greenville on Monday.