SPARTANBURG, S.C. – North Carolina Central University overcame a 12-point deficit to tie the game midway through the second half, but strong defense from Wofford allowed the Terriers to pry away a 77-59 win on Monday, Dec. 2 at Richardson Indoor Stadium.
 
NCCU (2-6) jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead as the Eagles held Wofford (4-4) without a shot attempt on its first two possessions, and also forced the Terriers into four turnovers within the first four minutes.  Wofford quickly found its footing after that and rattled off an 11-4 run to take control of the lead, and took a 40-31 advantage to the locker room at the half.
 
The Eagles weren't rattled by the halftime deficit, and steadily chipped away at the lead before knotting the game at 52 on a corner three from Jibri Blount (Pittsburgh, Pa.) with 9:38 to go.  From that point both teams remained in striking distance of each other, setting up a tense finish to the contest.
 
A few critical threes from Storm Murphy (Middleton, Wis.) sparked the Terriers as they clamped down defensively to hold the Eagles scoreless over the final four minutes of play.  Wofford closed the game on a 13-0 run to pull away with a hard-fought 77-59 win.
 
Blount led the Eagles with his second-career double-double with game-highs of 23 points and 12 rebounds.  Kobby Ayetey (Apam, Ghana) helped to spark the run for the Eagles with 10 points of his own, and Jordan Perkins (Greensboro, N.C.) had a balanced game with four points, four rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a block.
 
Wofford was pushed by Nathan Hoover (Memphis, Tenn.) who scored a team-high 18 points, and Tray Hollowell (Hopkinsville, Ky.) pitched in 17 points.
 
The Eagles will stay on the road to visit Georgia on Wednesday, Dec. 4.