Terriers Blistered the Nets For 68% in the Second Half to End Furman's Run
It was a game that, much like the one a decade ago when the two first met
in a title game as No. 1 (Wofford) vs. No. 10 (Furman) matchup, came right down
to the wire and delivered in from an entertainment standpoint, with both teams displaying
elite shooting over 40 minutes of basketball. The Terriers won the shootout by scorching
the nets the entire night, particularly in the second half, which saw Terriers
connect on 68% (13-of-19) of their shots from the field and 61.5% (8-of-13)
from long range to overcome a Furman team that delighted with sharpshooting
from all spots on the floor for three games in Asheville, but it was the
Terriers that hit shots in key moments that allowed Wofford to overcome a late four-point
deficit (83-79) with just over two minutes remaining in the game.
Wofford went on a 13-2 run over the final 2:33 to overcome a four-point
deficit and come away with their sixth Southern Conference Tournament title,
improving to 6-1 in championship games. Furman, which reached the championship
round for the third time in four years, fell to 7-6 all-time in tournament
title games and is now 0-3 against Wofford in the Southern Conference
Tournament, including 0-2 in championship games.
In an era in which we seemingly celebrate the transfer portal and NIL with roster turnover now on a season-by-season basis, it was Wofford, which retained nearly all of its scoring production from a year ago, that was rewarded for staying the course in the same locale over the past couple of seasons.
With the win, the Terriers improved to 19-15 overall, while the Paladins ended
their season with a 25-9 overall record. Wofford moves on to the NCAA
Tournament for the first time since 2019, when Wofford knocked off Seton Hall,
84-68, in the opening round before falling to No.2 Kentucky, 62-56, in the next
round. The Terriers will wait to see who they will face in the NCAA Tournament on
Selection Show on Sunday, March 16, with the show slated to air at 6:30 p.m.
EST on CBS. Wofford and Furman’s meeting in the championship game was one
between two teams that have the league’s only two NCAA Tournament wins of the
current membership in the 21st century.
The Terriers connected on a sizzling 13-of-19 shots in the second half,
including hitting 61.5% (8-of-13) shots from beyond the arc in the second half
alone, out-scoring the Paladins 58-48 in the second half en route to a
third-straight win. The Terriers finished the game shooting 54.2% (26-of-48)
from the field and were 50% (14-of-28) from three-point range in the game. The
Terriers also connected on 78.8% (26-of-33) from the free throw line.
Wofford became the first No. 6 seed to win the SoCon Tournament in the 21st
Century, and was the first non-No. 1 seed since 2017 (No.3 ETSU) to claim the
Southern Conference title in a game that didn’t feature the top seed in the
conference for the first time since 2014.
The Terriers got a career-high 20 points from Jackson Sivills, who
connected on 6-of-9 shots from the field and were 4-for-7 from three-point
range, while also adding four rebounds, an assist and had one block. Sivills,
who transferred to Wofford from Murray State three years ago, was part of a
core group that ended up sticking together for another season and one final run
at an NCAA Tournament appearance. In fact, in comparison to a Furman team,
which lost 72% of its point production a year ago, the Terriers only lost 8.3 PPG
to the transfer portal.
Sivills was one of five Terriers in double figures in the game. The only
player that Wofford head coach Dwight Perry ended up bringing in from the transfer
portal was USC Upstate transfer Justin Bailey, who proved to be a key ingredient
in the Terriers’ tournament title secret sauce, as he finished with 19 points
on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, including going 3-for-5 from three-point
range and was 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. Dillon Bailey finished the
contest with 15 points and did most of his damage from three-point land,
finishing 4-of-7 from downtown and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the line.
Kyler Filewich, who was a Third-Team All-SoCon selection, finished the
tournament as the Most Outstanding Player, capping off his strong three-game performance
in the tournament by posting 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and one
steal. Senior point guard Corey Tripp finished off his outstanding tournament
by posting 11 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, helping extend his
collegiate career for at least one more game as a result.
In a valiant effort in the loss, the Paladins were led by PJay Smith Jr.,
who posted a game-high 27 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-8
from three-point range, while finishing a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw
line. He finished the 2024-25 season making his final 43 free throws and his
110 three-pointers over the course of the season were only three behind the single-season
school mark of 113 triples made by Alex Hunter during the 2021-22 season, which
was one that would see the Paladins make a school-record 401 three-pointers.
Joining Smith in double figures in the setback for the Paladins was Nick
Anderson, who finished out his one season as a Furman Paladin, posting 13
points on 5-of-13 from the field, including 3-for-10 from long range. He was
also 2-for-3 from the charity stripe and contributed one assist and one steal.
Garrett Hien finished out his five seasons as a Paladin by adding 13
points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal in strong championship performance,
while fellow big men Charles Johnston and Cooper Bowser rounded out the double
figure scorers for Furman by adding 12 and 11 points, respectively. Johnston, a
native of Sydney Australia, was an impressive 4-of-6 shooting from the field,
which included going 4-for-5 from long-range. Bowser was 4-of-5 from the field
and a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. Bowser added one assist and one
block to his overall totals. Ben VanderWal finished off a solid 2025 SoCon
Tournament by adding seven points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The Paladins finished the game shooting 48.2% (27-of-56) from the field for
the game, while posting a 39.4% (13-of-33) effort from long range. The Paladins
were also an impressive 18-of-20 at the charity stripe in the contest, which
was good enough for a 90% shooting clip from the charity stripe. The Paladins,
however, ended up attempting 13 less free throws and were outscored 26-18 from
the line.
Wofford finished the game by winning the battle of the boards, claiming a
30-26 edge on the glass, while Furman held the advantage in total assists
(19-14). The Terriers ended the game with advantages in fast-break scoring
(6-0), second-chance points (10-5) and bench points (14-12), while the Paladins
finished with advantages in points in the paint (28-24) and points from turnovers
(15-11).
How It Happened:
Wofford came out and established the momentum early on in the game, as it
took a 8-0 lead on threes from Corey Tripp and Jackson Sivills before a Garrett
Hien alley-oop to Cooper Bowser got the Paladins on the board. The Terriers
would eventually take a 9-4 lead into the first media timeout.
The Terriers would eventually build as much as a 27-14 lead in the
opening half when Kyler Filewich converted a layup off an offensive rebound and
put-back with 8:26 left in the half and it suddenly looked as if the Terriers
were going to run away with the championship win. Furman would quickly respond
with an 8-0 run, beginning with a tip-in layup from Garrett Hien and capped by
a Charles Johnston three-pointer, who finished 4-of-5 in the game after coming
into the game having gone 4-of-21 from long-range since mid-January, and his
first of four threes on the evening got Furman to within five, at 27-22, with
6:36 left in the half.
A Corey Tripp three from the top of the key put the Terriers back on top,
30-22, however the Paladins continued their charge with a Hien layup and after
Johnston grabbed the rebound off a Kahmare Holmes missed three, the ball found
its way into his hands on the offensive end moments later, as he stroked home a
second three in quick succession to get Furman to within three, at 30-27, with
just under five minutes remaining in the opening half of play.
A pair of Jeremy Lorenz free throws put the Terriers back up five, and
emotions continued to rise as the intensity heated up on the Harrah’s Cherokee
Center hardwood. Garrett Hien was fouled hard by Sivills, which was enough to
see both Hien and Sivills exchange stares as well as some choice words. Hien
knocked down 1-of-2 from the line, getting the Paladins back to within four, at
32-27, with 4:13 left in the half.
The Terriers and Paladins would go scoreless over the next couple of minutes
before PJay Smith Jr. brought the Furman crowd to its feet with a three with
2:15 remaining in the opening half, as the Paladins continued to inch closer,
getting to within a point, at 32-31.
Wofford continued to have all the answers, however, pushing its lead back
to four when Sivills found himself open on the left wing for a three off a nice
feed from Kyler Filewich, making it a 35-31 Terrier lead with 1:50 remaining in
the half.
The Paladins would own the final moments of the opening half, carrying
the momentum into the halftime locker room. It started with a Nick Anderson
three-pointer, which got the Paladins back to within a point, at 35-34, with
1:32 left. After Sivills missed a three for Wofford, the Paladins would take
their first lead of the game when Charles Johnston connected on a three from the
left wing with 1:03 left to make it a 37-35 Furman advantage.
Tripp would get fouled by VanderWal going to the hole and he would knock
down both free throws to tie the game, 37-37, with 43 seconds left. However, it
would be the Paladins that would carry the momentum into the half, with Hien
playing a part in that boost of energy heading into the locker room.
First, Hien hit a cutting VanderWal for a dunk off the right side, giving
the Paladins the 39-37 lead with 24 seconds remaining in the half. Then, on
Wofford’s final shot of the first half, Hien blocked a Sivills three, and Johnston
came away with the ball, as the Paladins headed to the half with a 39-37 lead.
Over the final eight minutes of the half, the Paladins outscored the Terriers,
25-10, to take a narrow two-point lead into the half.
The second half would see the Paladins and Terriers continue to dazzle with some outstanding offensive basketball, with the Paladins getting six early points from Smith on a three-pointer and three made free throws after being fouled on a three-pointer by Justin Bailey, and after knocking down all three of his charity shots, Furman held a 45-42 lead 90 seconds into the second half.
The Paladins would eventually increase their lead to six when Nick Anderson
knocked down a free throw line jumper with just over 14 minutes left, giving
the Paladins a 54-48 lead. It was Furman’s biggest lead of the game, and one of
two occasions in which the Paladins would hold a six-point advantage in the
second half. However, despite a couple of chances to extend the lead further,
the Paladins could not create any more separation than that, thanks in large
part to Wofford’s tremendous shooting acumen throughout the second half. Midway
through the second half, the Terriers eventually tied the score, at 62-62,
after a pair of free throws from Justin Bailey with 10:17 left.
Following an Anderson missed three, Wofford would assume its first lead
of the second half, as Bailey knocked down two more free throws with 9:48
remaining, giving Wofford the 64-62 lead.
The Terriers would continue to take charge of the game, and it was the
start of what would end up being a 15-5 spurt from the Terriers, as Wofford
took an eight-point lead, at 77-69, following a pair of free throws after he
was fouled by Cooper Bowser with 6:53 remaining. Bowser would return the favor
on the other end after he made a pair of free throws after he was fouled on an
alley-oop attempt. Bowser connected on both to cut Furman’s deficit back to six
with 6:39 left.
Furman drew even closer after Justin Bailey missed a three and then Hien
came down and found himself open on the right wing for a three, which he made
and cut the Terriers lead to three, at 77-74, with 5:58 left.
On the ensuing Wofford possession, Smith tried to swipe the ball away
from Filewich, but was whistled for the foul, putting the senior from Manitoba
at the line for a pair of free throws. Following a rare consecutive made free
throws from the senior, the Terriers increased their lead to five (79-74) with 5:32
left.
Furman would then use a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to seemingly
take control of the game, and the Paladins looked like they were ready to close
out the championship game like they had the semifinal in an overtime win over
Chattanooga, which saw the Paladins taking over the game in the final couple of
minutes of the, 80-77, overtime win.
Anderson started the 9-0 run with two made charity shots after he was
fouled by Sivills. On Wofford’s next possession, the Paladins switched into the
1-3-1 zone, and it took the Terriers by surprise, leading to a Ben VanderWal
steal, who then fed Hien in transition, but his shot was blocked off the glass
by Filewich, who grabbed the rebound and fed Dillon Bailey in transition the
other way, but Bailey ran over VanderWal, who drew a charge, which was one of
several high IQ basketball plays made by Furman’s junior forward over the
course of three games in Asheville.
Anderson then hit the back iron on a three, but Furman’s 1-3-1 continued
to befuddle the Terriers, and Tripp threw a pass out of play, giving the ball
back to the Paladins. Hien was able to bring the Paladins to within a point
after converting a layup on the other end with 3:53 left, trimming the Terrier
lead to 79-78.
Furman continued its strong defense on the other end, as an entry feed to
Lorenz by Tripp appeared that it might lead to an easy two for Wofford, however,
the high-low feed from Tripp didn’t account for the incognito Anderson, who had
anticipated the feed over Hien to Lorenz and his perfect timing allowed the Barry
University transfer swipe the ball away and Smith converted a layup on the
other end with 3:10 left to give the Paladins an 80-79 lead, as the Furman
faithful raised the decibel level once again inside the Harrah’s Cherokee
Center.
Wofford’s Tripp then committed his fourth turnover of the night when his
lazy pass was stolen by Smith, which led to an Anderson three from the top of
the key, giving the Paladins a two-possession lead, at 83-79, with 2:34 left.
Tripp committed his third-straight turnover and fifth of the night as his
pass was picked off Hien at the top of the 1-3-1 and the Paladins came down and
Smith, whose three killed off the Terriers nine days earlier with 1.1 seconds
left at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, attempted to deliver the
dagger again, but his three was off the front rim and no good.
If Smith had made the shot, it would have extended Furman’s lead to three
possessions with just under two minutes left, and it might have been enough to have
helped crown the Paladins SoCon Champions for a second time in three years, however,
it would prove to be Wofford’s night, who was irresistible to the eyes shooting
the basketball the entire night, especially in the second half.
Tripp snagged the long rebound off the Smith miss and found Filewich for
a layup on the other end and that got Wofford to within two, at 83-81 with 1:54
remaining. That play proved to be the ever-so-slight momentum shift the
Terriers needed in this epic SoCon title tilt. It was the start of what would
be a 13-2 run over the final 2:33.
Furman took a timeout, and following a play drawn up by Richey during the
respite, Smith got some separation from his defender, but drew some contact
from Filewich on the layup attempt to affect the shot, and the tournament MVP
came up with the ball, as Smith attempted to sprint back, but appeared have
been slightly injured on the play and his inability to sprint back allowed Sivills
an open look at a three, which he didn’t miss to give Wofford a lead they would
never relinquish, at 84-83 with 1:26 left.
Good defense by the Terriers forced Furman into a shot clock violation on
the other end, as the Terrier fans in attendance roared, sensing a real opportunity
for the sixth seed to garner a sixth tournament title since 2010, as just 55
seconds remained. Tripp was fouled and he made both charity shots to increase
Wofford’s lead to three, at 86-83, with 39 seconds remaining.
Smith and Anderson missed a pair of threes on the other end and Justin Bailey was fouled to effectively help ice the game after his two made free throws with 27 seconds remaining to make it 88-83. Bailey’s two free throws were part of a perfect 6-for-6 effort down the stretch that helped the Terriers claim their first time in six years.
Press Conference
--With Furman's 95-78 win over Samford in the quarterfinal round of the SoCon Tournament, head coach Bob Richey notched his 180th win in his coaching tenure at Furman.
--PJay Smith Jr. connected on his final 43 free throws to close out the season and scored 76 points in the SoCon Tournament, while posting 102 points over his final four games of the season.
--Nick Anderson scored 62 points in the SoCon Tournament and had 83 total points in his final four games of the season.
--With its 2-1 mark in the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament, Furman improved to 60-65 all-time in SoCon Tournament action; The Paladins fell to 7-6 all-time in SoCon Championship games.
--Since the start of the 2015-16 season, Furman has won 223 games and has 107 losses.
--The 33 free throws attempted by Wofford against Furman were the most by an opponent all season, eclipsing the 32 shot by The Citadel against Furman in the Paladins 67-63 win back on Jan. 8 in Charleston.
--Furman's 42 three-pointers are one from setting the Southern Conference Tournament record, as Chattanooga connected on 43 triples in four games back in 2023.
--Wofford is 35-23 against the Paladins since joining the Southern Conference during the as a member in 1997-98, while Furman holds a commanding 93-65 all-time series edge.
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