Jan. 28, 2006

Final Stats

Spartanburg, S.C. - Western Carolina cut a 22-point deficit with 9:05 left in the game to five at the 4:27 mark. However, a pair of 3-pointers by Shane Nichols, who scored a game-high 28 points, inside the final 3:04 got Wofford back on track for a 76-57 victory Saturday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena.

Western turned up the defensive pressure midway through the second half, holding the Terries (7-13 overall, 2-5 Southern Conference) scoreless from the nine-minute mark until 5:48 and only allowing a total of five points from the nine-minute mark until the 3:53 mark. During the Catamounts 20-3 run to get back to within five, David Berghoefer scored six points and Western made four of its seven 3-pointers in the game.

Western (9-13, 3-4) down five and with the ball after a steal, turned the ball back over and Tyler Berg scored on a layup putting his team back up seven. After a WCU missed 3-pointer, the Terriers would go up nine on a Howard Wilkerson layup, setting the stage for Nichols' back-to-back 3-pointers to give Wofford a 15-point cushion. When the clock ran out, Wofford had ended the game on a 16-2 run. While the Catamounts missed their final eight 3-point attempts. Wofford was still able to pull away down the stretch despite making just 4-of-12 at the free throw line.

Wofford started the game with a 9-0 run, with Western's Negus McKenna giving WCU its first points with a 3-pointer at the 12:59 mark. McKenna would score nine of the Cats' first 11 points as Western worked its deficit to four with 9:53 left before the break. The Terriers drained 6-of-13 from beyond the arc in the first half, compared to just 2-of-11 by the Cats, to take a 15-point (37-22) led at intermission.

The Terriers out-rebounded the Catamounts, 50-41, while shooting 50 percent from the field, compared to Western's 29.2 overall field goal percentage.

Berghoefer finished with 17 points, making 7-of-13 shots from the field, and 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and 20th of his career. McKenna added 12 points and two steals with Antonio Russell scoring 10 points. Like McKenna, freshman Stan Johnson provided a spark off the bench, tallying a season-high nine rebounds.

In addition to Nichols, Wofford was led Wilkerson and Adam Sheehan, each of whom scored 11 points. Berg just missed a double-double, getting nine points and 11 rebounds, while Drew Gibson had seven assists and eight boards.

Western Carolina will return to action on Monday (Jan. 30), hosting the Furman Paladins. Tipoff is set for 7 pm and admission is only $2 as part of the Athletics Department's Manic Monday. In addition, Monday is "Beach Night at the RAC," where everyone is encouraged to wear their favorite beach attire.