Feb. 24, 2004
Box Score
Spartanburg, SC -
The Citadel built a 20-point first-half lead and then held off a frantic
Wofford comeback for a 68-65 victory in Southern Conference men's
basketball action tonight in Spartanburg, S.C.
Keyed by 11 points from Kevin Hammack, the Bulldogs used a 22-0 run over
a 7:38 stretch to take a 34-14 lead with 2:06 to play in first half. The
Terriers then scored the next seven points to trim their deficit to
34-21 at the intermission.
Wofford chipped away throughout the second half but could never draw
even, twice pulling within one point. The Citadel used a pair of key
offensive rebounds in the final 1:26 to secure the victory.
"We played with unbelievable passion tonight," The Citadel coach Pat
Dennis said. "We hit some big shots that haven't fell this year. We gutted it out and our kids won a tough game in a hostile environment."
A Sam Daniels layup brought the Terriers within 59-58 with 2:36 left.
After both teams swapped possessions without a score, The Citadel's
Joseph Thompson converted a putback and was fouled off an offensive
rebound with 1:23 remaining. The 3-point play gave the Bulldogs a 62-58
advantage.
A Wofford turnover then led to a J'mel Everhart dunk and a 64-58 lead
for The Citadel with 1:12 to play.
An Adrien Borders trey cut the Terrier deficit to 64-61 with 46 seconds
remaining. After a Dante Terry missed free-throw, Borders converted a
pair of free-throws with 26 seconds left to bring Wofford within 64-63.
The Citadel's Max Mombollet was then fouled. After missing the
free-throw attempt, Mombollet grabbed his own rebound and was fouled
again. He made both his attempts to give the Bulldogs a 66-63 lead with
21 seconds left.
After David Eaton missed a 3-pointer in the corner that would have tied
the game, Terry grabbed the defensive board and was fouled. He made
1-of-2 free-throws to give The Citadel a 67-63 lead with eight seconds
left.
Greg Taylor scored an uncontested layup to bring Wofford within 67-65
with three seconds to play. Hammack was then immediately fouled. After
missing his first attempt, he made the second to provide the final
margin. The Terriers then committed another turnover as time expired.
"We got what we deserved," Wofford coach Mike Young said. "A lack of
energy and passion in the first half put us in a huge hole.
"The Citadel outplayed us and were tougher than us. Hats off to them.
They got the big baskets and rebounds when they needed to. They deserved
to win."
Howard Wilkerson led Wofford with 19 points to go with six rebounds, six
steals, four assists and two blocked shots. Borders scored 18 points
while Daniels had a season-high 11 rebounds to top the Terriers.
The Citadel (5-21, 1-14) snapped a 13-game losing streak, the longest in
the 12-year tenure of Dennis. It was also the Bulldogs' first road win
since a 67-66 victory at Georgia Southern on Jan. 21, 2003.
Hammack's five assists gave him 247 in his career as he moves into ninth
place on The Citadel's career list. He finished with 15 points to lead
four Bulldogs in double figures. Mombollet scored 14 points to go with
seven rebounds, while Everhart contributed 10 points and a team-best
eight boards.
Wofford committed 18 turnovers with 15 coming in the first half. Two of
the three second-half turnovers came in the final 1:16.
The Citadel shot 48.1 percent for the game compared to 41.4 for Wofford.
In seven previous SoCon home games, the Terriers had not shot below 47.4
percent.
Eaton, Wofford's lone senior, was honored in a pregame ceremony as he
made his final Benjamin Johnson Arena appearance.
"David Eaton has meant a ton to this program," Young said. "He's a
Wofford guy and has done so much to help us. I hate to see him go out at
home like this."
Both teams close the regular season on Saturday. The Terriers have a 7
p.m. game at Chattanooga. The Bulldogs host Georgia Southern at 2 p.m.
