CULLOWHEE, N.C. - For just the second time in the last 10 meetings in Cullowhee, the Wofford Terriers came away with a victory over the Western Carolina men's basketball team Thursday night, 84-69. The Terriers used a 39-25 advantage on the glass to control the game including a 12-7 edge in offensive boards. WCU has earned just two victories all season when losing the rebounding battle and the Terriers took advantage of that fact scoring 17 second chance points including 13 in the opening 20 minutes.

Wofford scored 13 second chance points off of just seven offensive rebounds in the first half to help build a 36-24 halftime lead. WCU limited the second chance opportunities to just four in the second 20 minutes and the Catamounts were able to cut the lead to six late in the period. Twenty-one points from the free throw line in the second half including their final 13 in the game helped propel the Terriers to victory.

The loss drops Western Carolina into a tie for fifth in the Southern Conference standings with Mercer while Wofford kept pace with Furman as the Terriers remain in a tie for third in the standings. WCU fell to 12-15 on the season and 7-7 in league play while Wofford improved to 18-9 overall and 9-5 in conference action.

Junior Mike Amius led the Catamounts with his fifth 20-plus point performance of the season as he scored 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting while also knocking down 6-of-7 attempts at the free throw line. Freshman Marcus Thomas came off the bench to score 13 points while senior Deriece Parks and freshman Matt Halvorsen each added 10.

Junior Marc Gosselin collected 10 of WCU's 13 first half rebounds and finished with 13 boards and eight points. Senior Devin Peterson made his first start since January 27 and dished out a team-high five assists while scoring four points.

Wofford had a 39-25 edge on the boards but lost the turnover battle as the Terriers lost the ball 16 times compared to WCU's 12 mistakes. Despite the four-turnover advantage, WCU lost the points off turnovers battle 24-16, including giving up 17 first half points off nine miscues.

Wofford used a 15-3 run midway through the first half to open up a 15 point advantage over the Catamounts. WCU cut the deficit to eight off a jumper by Parks with 5:04 left in the period but a quick 4-0 spurt by the Terriers pushed their lead to 12 which they held the rest of the way eventually entering halftime ahead 36-24.

The second half saw the Terrier lead grow to as much as 18 points but an 11-4 run by the Catamounts with 7:48 left in the game cut the lead to just six with 5:11 remaining on the clock. Thomas, Parks and Halvorsen hit back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers in the stretch but a Fletcher Magee 3-pointer halted the spurt and put the Terriers back ahead by nine. A jumper on Wofford's next possession would be their final field goal of the contest as the Terrier's final 13 points came at the free throw line.

The Catamounts cut the deficit to nine on two occasions in the final four minutes of play but that would be as close as they would get as Wofford hung on for an 84-69 victory.

Wofford placed all five starters in double-figures led by the Southern Conference's leading scorer Magee who had a game-high 21 points. Cameron Jackson, who missed the earlier meeting between these two programs, finished with 15 points and seven rebounds while Nathan Hoover (13), Storm Murphy (12) and Trevor Stumpe (12) all finished above the double-digit mark.

The road does not get any easier for the Catamounts as WCU hosts Southern Conference leader ETSU on Saturday at 2 pm. The Buccaneers had their 16-game winning streak snapped at UNCG Monday night and will be looking to get back on the winning track inside the Ramsey Center. ETSU is battling for the regular season crown while WCU is looking to secure a first round bye at the upcoming Southern Conference Championship.