Nathan Hoover scored 20 points in the second half, as the No. 20 Wofford Terriers topped the second-seeded UNCG Spartans 70-58, coming from behind to claim the program’s fifth Southern Conference Championship and earning an automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
“We didn’t lead much of the game, but we led in the last one and that’s all that matters,” said Wofford head coach Mike Young.
The SoCon championship is the program’s fifth title in 10 seasons and first since 2015. With the win, Wofford improves to 29-4 overall, having won 20-straight contests while setting the program record for wins in a season, eclipsing the 2014-15 squad’s 28-7 mark.
“I’d be less than honest with you if I told you I envisioned all this,” said Young of the program’s success in the last decade. “It’s been gradual. But it’s all about players. Anyone can coach this bunch.”
“It meant 10 times more than any individual accomplishment we could reach,” Magee said of earning the automatic bid. “To finally achieve that goal of winning the conference and advancing to the NCAA Tournament in our last year together is probably the most rewarding feeling.”
Wofford out-rebounded UNCG 35-30 and were 21-of-24 from the free-throw line, hitting 20-of-22 attempts in the second half to take the contest by 12. All 20 of Hoover’s points came in the second half while guard Fletcher Magee also finished the game with 20 points, going 8-of-9 from the line and knocking down four 3-pointers. Fellow senior Cameron Jackson totaled 15 points and seven rebounds, keeping Wofford in the game with 13 first-half points.
“We never let it get too bad and we were never down too much at any point,” Jackson said of the back and forth game. “The coaches just kept telling us to take one game at a time and it just showed that we have a lot of fight in us.”
Jackson opened up the game by scoring the first six points for the Terriers, but UNCG would grab a 17-8 lead. Magee would help bring Wofford back, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers, including the 500th trey of his career to make the score 21-17 in favor of the Spartans. Jackson continued to be dominant down low, scoring down the stretch to keep the deficit at four (31-27) and finish with 13 first-half points.
The second half started slowly as UNCG extended its lead to seven. Hoover would bring the Terriers back, scoring five unanswered and forcing a UNCG timeout.
“We’re in a bad place and then Nathan hit a big three for us,” Young said of Hoover. “He hit eight foul shots. He was just phenomenal and he put us on his shoulders tonight.”
The Spartans responded with a rally of their own, but Chevez Goodwin skied for a rebound and scored to spark Wofford. After Magee knocked down three free throws, Hoover connected on a floater in the lane to knot the score up at 49.
“This team will guard,” Young said. “Chevez Goodwin may be the best rebounder we have. To have him and Keve Aluma on the boards, those are good ingredients to have going into the NCAA Tournament.”
Hoover remained red hot from the floor, scoring eight in a row to give Wofford a three-point advantage with 3:22 to play. After Magee hit two free throws, Hoover stole the ball, got fouled and added two more from the line to make it 65-22 in favor of the Terriers.
“I know I have to bring energy every time, that’s my main goal,” Hoover said. “I might score 20 or I might score zero, but as long as we get the win that’s all I care about.”
Wofford continued to deliver at the charity stripe, after a Goodwin block, Jackson added two more as the lead extended to 11. Magee and Storm Murphy would add four more free throws to ice the game 70-58.
“This is a really good basketball team,” said Young of advancing to the NCAA Tournament. “I cannot wait to play again in that great, great tournament.”
Written by Wofford College Athletics.