The Citadel loses big at Wofford, 82-63

The Citadel's duo of Mike Groselle and Ashton Moore each scored a team-high 13 points, but it was Wofford that came away with the 82-63 victory at Benjamin Johnson Arena in Southern Conference basketball action Saturday evening. Point guard DeVontae Wright added 10 points for his second double-figure game of the season and first since a career-high 26-point outing against Army at the All-Military Classic.

The Bulldogs (2-5, 0-2 SoCon) converted 22-of-51 (43.1%) from the field, including 5-of-13 (38.5%) from beyond the arc. As a unit, The Citadel finished with a 13-10 edge in points off turnovers and a 16-15 advantage in second chance points. Individually, Moore led the Cadets with a 5-of-9 shooting performance that included 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Groselle capped off his 12th consecutive double-figure scoring output with a 4-of-7 outing from the floor, however his string of seven straight double-doubles was snapped with a five-rebound night. As for Wright, who pulled down a team-best six rebounds, the second-year point guard shot 4-of-9 from the field.

Wofford's Kevin Giltner shot 11-of-17 from the floor, hitting 4-of-8 from beyond the arc to post a game-high 27 points. He also was responsible for 10 rebounds, pulling down nine on the defensive end, to give the Terriers a 36-29 edge on the boards. Joining Giltner with solid offensive efforts were Brad Loesing (16 points) and Karl Cochran (13 points). Behind those performances, the Terriers hit 32-of-58 (55.2%) from the floor and 9-of-23 (39.1%) from 3-point range. In the post, teammate Lee Skinner maneuvered himself for 10 rebounds (5 offensive), as Wofford finished with 12 as a unit. The win moves the Terriers to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in league play.

Facing a 15-point deficit at the half, Wright opened with a pair of second-half buckets to pull the Dogs within 42-29 of the lead, but a series of scores by Aerris Smith and Giltner stretched the lead to 17 points.

The Citadel regained the momentum behind six points by Groselle and a pair of free throws by Miller, as they outscored Wofford, 8-4 during a 2:14 span of the second to pull within 46-37 of the Terriers.

Wofford scored 12 of the games next 18 points, including a 3-pointer by Cochran, and despite a trey by Moore the Terriers led 60-45 at the 8:59 mark.

Jumpers by Skinner and Giltner expanded the Wofford lead to 16 on two separate occasions, but The Citadel answered with a 3-pointer by Marshall Harris III and a layup by Morabbi to remaining within striking distance, 65-41, with 6:00 remaining.

Seven points by Giltner over the next 2:45 of the game stretched the Terrier lead to 77-57, as the Dogs got four of their final six points from P.J. Horgan to make for the 82-63 final.

Wofford established a 40-25 lead at the intermission behind 13 points from Giltner and eight each from Loesing and Cochran. The Citadel countered with six points each from Groselle and Moore, but struggled to find its shooting touch as they hit just 8-of-20 (40%) field goal attempts. All of Moore's points came from 3-point range as he connected on 2-of-3 attempts from beyond the arc.

The Terriers, who hit 15-of-27 (55.6%) from the floor, took advantage of 7-of-12 (58.3%) shooting from beyond the arc. The trio of Giltner (3-5), Cochran (2-3) and Loesing (2-3) all converted long range shots, as Wofford became the first team since Florida Christian to hit better than 50-percent in the opening half against the Bulldogs.

Wofford's offense was kick started early by a pair of treys by Cochran and Loesing and despite points by Smith, Wright and Bray the Terriers lead 10-7 at the 17:06 mark. Exactly one minute later Groselle converted an old-fashioned three point play to knot the game at 10 all.

The Terriers quickly responded with a 12-0 run, sparked by a pair of Giltner 3-pointers, that spanned 3:01 of the contest to assume the 22-10 lead. Groselle ended the drought with a free throw which was followed by a Moore 3-pointer, before five points by Cochran gives Wofford a 27-17 lead.

A defensive stop by The Citadel followed by a strong move in the post by Robertson allowed the Dogs to pull within 27-19 of the lead with 9:16 remaining in the half.

With the lead back in double figures following a layup by Wright, Wofford pieced together a 9-2 run and held the Dogs without a bucket to make for a 40-23 advantage. A Groselle layup ended The Citadel drought, which spanned 4:15 of the frame, for the final points by either team of the half.

The Bulldogs return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 6 when they host Coastal Carolina at 7:05 p.m. at McAlister Field House.

Courtesy:  The Citadel Sports Information