Stewart’s 26 lift Presbyterian past Wofford

Kobe Stewart led Presbyterian with 26 points as Blue Hose held off Wofford. (Photo by Brent Stastny/Presbyterian Athletics)

By Jordan Ferrell (@FerrellonFM983)

CLINTON, S.C. — Some early-season college basketball games actually do mean something.

Maybe not on the highest level, but when it comes to mid-major programs, you have games where you play for reps and money in tail whippings against big schools. But, you also get some games outside of league play that give you a good measuring stick for where your team is. On Wednesday, Wofford and Presbyterian did battle in the latter, one of those types of games that also happens to be part of a big rivalry between the foes out of the Big South Conference and the Southern Conference. 

Early on, one thing was evident. These two squads are fast and physical, and it was that physicality and speed that played into the Blue Hose’s hands through the opening four minutes. Wofford missed its first five shots, not finding the scoreboard until Dillon Bailey made a wide-open layup just ahead of the first media timeout. An exchange of baskets made it 10-7 in favor of the Terriers at that stoppage. Out of the timeout, Wofford went on an 8-0 run that was eventually snapped by Kory Mincy with a triple from the top of the key and from there, the two sides kept trading baskets.

Although the scoreboard remained close, with the Terriers leading by no less than two points until the under-8 timeout, when they had pulled out to a 22-16 advantage, it never felt like Wofford was not in control of the game. Over the final eight minutes, the Terriers outscored Presbyterian, 18-17, to take a 40-32 lead to the intermission.

The second stanza started off strong for the Terriers, featuring a pair of triples on jumpers from Jackson Sivills. But, things quickly began to sour. The Blue Hose kept Wofford off the scoreboard for over five minutes, going on a game-flipping 13-2 run in that stretch thanks in part to Kobe Stewart, who went on a personal 9-0 spurt that included three consecutive threes, the last of which tied the game at 50 with 12:36 remaining in regulation.

Even though they could not get any shots to fall, the Terriers still managed to stay within striking distance, never trailing by more than nine points. Then, enter the hero.

With Wofford only down four, Stewart put up a contested jumper from the right wing, almost in the corner, and was fouled putting it up, draining it with a roar from the raucous crowd to re-up the ante to seven with 1:11 to play in the game. In the end, despite the effort over the closing minutes, Corey Tripp’s attempt at a game-tying three as the horn sounded was way off the mark, securing the 71-68 victory for the Blue Hose. 

“I thought Presbyterian did a good job of continuing to play hard and stay the course,” Wofford head coach Dwight Perry reflected. “We did a poor job of continuing to follow the game plan. We deviated too much from that on the defensive and offensive side of the ball, and when you let a good team, which Presbyterian is, start to get confidence, it's hard to get back. Unfortunately, we found that out the hard way.”

Conversely, Presbyterian head coach Quinton Ferrell said it was his squad that deviated from its game plan until adjusting in the second half, when Stewart exploded. 

“In the first half, we didn't come out and defend the way we talked about going into the game and I just didn't like the way we were executing on both ends,” said Ferrell. “So I really challenged the guys at halftime. They did a tremendous job of responding. We made a slight adjustment in the second half defensively that I thought really helped my guys settle in and guard better. Then Kobe Stewart caught fire, which obviously is good to see a fifth-year senior do that.” 

Stewart led the way for PC, amassing 26 points on 14-of-21 shooting from the floor, which includes a 6-for-7 effort from beyond the three-point arc. He also added 10 rebounds to secure a double-double. Two other Presbyterian players marked in double figures, with Carl Parrish adding 11 points and Mincy tabbing 10.

“Kobe saw the ball go through the net and he started to get confidence,” Perry said. “When you let a good player like Kobe get confidence, it's hard to stop him. That's a big reason why we needed to stay with the game plan. I thought we did a good job in the first half, but when he started to get going, that gave him confidence that he's a good player and he capitalized on that.”

“Kobe is a fifth-year guy,” Ferrell added. “We've got to see him develop and grow, and he's playing lights-out right now. He puts in the work every single day, is unselfish, and he's been big the last couple of games. Tonight, he gave a glimpse of everything he's capable of.” 

Wofford was led by Tripp, who led the team with 15 points and six assists. Sivills ended up with 13 points while Jeremy Lorenz and Justin Bailey also were in double figures with 11 and 10, respectively. 

The Terriers, now 1-2 on the young season, will turn their sights to Saturday as they head to Durham for a tilt with Duke. Tipoff in that game is set for noon. Presbyterian (2-2) is also on the road Saturday, with an 11 a.m. tip against Kennesaw State.