Junior forward B.J. Mack dominated in recording his second double-double of the season with career-highs of 28 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Terriers in a 78-70 win over Gardner-Webb (4-5) at Paul Porter Arena on Wednesday night. Sophomore Max Klesmit and senior Ryan Larson also finished in double figures, as the win moves Wofford to 7-3 overall.
Mack hit a career-high 10-of-17 shots from the floor and 8-of-11 from the free-throw line en route to his 28 points and second career double-double, while six of his 13 rebounds came on the offensive end. Additionally, the Charlotte, N.C., native also matched a season-high of 34 minutes.
Klemsit recorded 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and four free throws to pair with five rebounds, while Larson finished with 13 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, and a team-high five assists.
Wofford finished 49.1 percent from the field for the contest (26-of-53), tallying 44 points inside the paint to GWU’s 34, while hitting 22-of-29 shots from the free-throw line (75.9%) – currently leading the SoCon in total free throws made (164).
The Terriers dominated on the boards, finishing plus-11 with a 38-27 rebound advantage over the ‘Dogs, while also tallying 16 second-chance points on 11 offensive rebounds.
Isaiah Bigelow contributed nine points and six rebounds in 26 minutes, followed by Morgan Safford with five points, three rebounds and two steals in 31 minutes.
Gardner-Webb was led by Lance Terry with 19 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, followed by Jordan Sears with 12 points and D’Maurian Williams with 11 points.
The opening minutes of the first half started as a back-and-forth affair in Boiling Springs, leading 16-12 after B.J. Mack would convert an and-one finish in the paint by the under-12 media timeout (11:26). Coming out of the break, the Terriers pushed the lead to seven after Luke Turner buried a corner three from Klesmit (19-12), though, Gardner-Webb held the Terriers scoreless for five minutes while using a 12-2 run to take its first lead after a deep Lance Terry 3-pointer, 24-21, by the 5:25 mark.
Mack then began to take over, scoring Wofford’s next 13 points to reclaim a 34-33 lead with 1:33 remaining in the half, as Klesmit would close the half with a two-hand dunk prior to finishing a nifty reverse layup at the horn for a 38-36 halftime lead.
Mack nearly reached his double-double in the first half with 18 first-half points and eight rebounds, as the Terriers dominated inside shooting 53.6 percent with 26 points coming from the paint.
GWU’s Lance Terry paced the ‘Dogs with 19 first-half points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, as Gardner-Webb hit 7-of-12 from distance (58.3%) while capitalizing on 10 Wofford turnovers for 13 points in the frame.
Mack continued his inside presence in the second half, opening with the Terriers first four points to eclipse the 20-point mark and hold a 42-39 lead, though, GWU’s Jordan Sear knocked down a 3-pointer to immediately knot the margin up at 42-42. A five-point spurt from the Terriers behind a Sam Godwin second-chance finish and Morgan Safford trifecta gave Wofford a brief cushion (47-42), as Isaiah Bigelow and Max Klesmit finishes at the rim held a 51-45 advantage by the 13:56 mark.
A trio of free throws from Mack would eclipse his career-high and push a seven-point margin for the Terriers, 54-47, before Gardner-Webb closed in to bring the game back within one possession, 54-51. Isaiah Bigelow answered with a big 3-pointer and Max Klesmit then took a Runnin’ Bulldog to the rack to push Wofford’s largest margin of the game at 59-51, as Klesmit held the margin after a pair of free throws at 61-53 (8:49).
The ‘Dogs rallied to bring the game within one possession after tallying eight of the following 10 points, 63-61, though, Ryan Larson would give Wofford a six-point cushion, 67-61, after finishing a crucial layup and knocking down a pair at the line after being put in the double bonus with 3:26 left. A pair of free throws from Bigelow and a clutch hook shot across the lane from Mack kept the six-point edge (71-65) with under a minute to play.
The ‘Dogs would bring the margin to four twice within the final 30 seconds of regulation (74-70), however, Bigelow and Larson would hold steady at the free-throw line in converting the last 4-of-4 double-bonus attempts to secure the 78-70 victory at the buzzer.
Gardner-Webb forced a season-high 16 turnovers on the Terriers, while Wofford forced 12 on the ‘Dogs for the contest. Despite the loss for GWU, the ‘Dogs held the advantage in points off turnovers (21-18), fast-break points (11-3) and bench points (14-12).
Next, Wofford (7-3) travels to Conway, S.C., for the second of its four-game road swing at Coastal Carolina on Sunday, Dec. 12. Tip-off is slated for a 4 p.m.
start on ESPN+.
