SoCon Fans

(2S) Wofford 77, (1S) College of Charleston 67

Two years ago, the Wofford Terriers’ men’s basketball program had never, ever made the NCAA Tournament. Now, the sons of Spartanburg, South Carolina own back-to-back appearances in the Big Dance. These are heady times for a program that has so clearly shown how ready it is to bust some more brackets in March.

Showing more poise and precision in the most meaningful moments of competition, Wofford produced a virtually flawless second half to outplay a game but underequipped College of Charleston crew in the championship game of the Southern Conference Tournament at McKenzie Arena. Behind 21 points from Cameron Rundles and 20 more from Noah Dahlman, the Terriers used a pair of Minnesota-bred recruits to outfox the white fox, Charleston coach Bobby Cremins, who was attempting to guide the Cougars into the NCAAs for the first time since 1999.

Just how mature was Wofford’s performance in a high-level game that was razor-close until the Terriers opened up an eight-point cushion (72-64) with 2:25 left? For one thing, the Terriers scored on six of their last seven possessions, with the final possession being reserved for running out the clock with a 10-point lead. Wofford scored on 12 of its last 15 possessions, again counting that meaningless (and celebratory) final trip down the floor, a trip that ended with Dahlman – part of the team’s “Minnesota Mafia” – throwing the ball into the rafters in wild jubilation.

Here’s another look inside Wofford’s nerves of steel: While it’s true that multiple Charleston players got into foul trouble, thereby making the Cougars a necessarily more tentative defensive team, the fact still remains that Wofford had to stick a number of perimeter jumpers down the stretch. Rundles was the man who kept driving daggers into the hearts of the Charleston players, who played a solid game but were simply eclipsed by a better team that knew how to close the sale. Rundles kept pumping in shots with icy consistency, preventing the C of C from using defense as a catalyst for a game-changing run akin to what it produced in Sunday’s semifinal escape against Furman.

Yes, Wofford smelled the familiar aroma of championship glory, and when the prize was in sight, the Terriers pounced like a savvy hunter that knows what it wants and how it needs to get it. Indeed, one year after winning its first SoCon tournament title, Wofford regained that winning edge all weekend long in Chattanooga. Monday night was just the culmination of a dominant run that appeared to be very much in evidence during the Terriers’ easy semifinal conquest of North Division champion Western Carolina. To put an exclamation point on this obvious yet undeniably important theme concerning Wofford’s poise, the Terriers did not miss a foul shot until the final minute of regulation. Coach Mike Young’s team hit its first 20 foul shots while Charleston missed 7 of its 20 attempts. That seven-point differential represented a defining point of distinction in this contest, as did Charleston’s loss of senior forward Jeremy Simmons due to blood clots.

The Cougars, shorthanded and outgunned, did not play a poor game. Once more with feeling, Wofford simply excelled when all the poker chips were on the table. The Terriers now have a chance to make life miserable for a high seed next week in the NCAA Tournament.

Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer