Wofford rallies to take SoCon, makes NCAA berth

Mar 10, 2025, 10:20 PM ET ASHEVILLE, N.C.– Jackson Sivills scored a career-high 20 points and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in a game-ending 15-2 run as Wofford rallied to beat Furman 92-85 in the Southern Conference tournament national championship Monday night.Wofford routed 83-79 with 2:34 staying. Kyler Filewich then made a layup and Sivills drilled his 3-pointer to put the Terriers(19-15) on top for good.Sivills, a fifth-year senior, made 6 of 9 shots with four 3-pointers for No. 6 seed Wofford, which makes an automated berth to the NCAA tournament for the sixth time. The Terriers won 4 conference titles between 2009 and 2015 and last won it in the 2018-19 season.Editor’s Picks Justin Bailey added 19 points and seven rebounds for Wofford. Dillon Bailey scored 15 and teamed up with Justin– no relation– to make 7 of 12 from beyond the arc. Filewich included 13 points and 6 boards. Corey Tripp had 11 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds.PJay Smith Jr. led the Paladins(25-9) with 27 points. He made 4 3-pointers and all 11 of his nasty shots. Nick Anderson had 15 points, and Garrett Hien and Charles Johnston scored 13 and 12,

respectively, before fouling out. Cooper Bowser scored 11. Wofford scored the first eight points and preserved a lead up until Johnston buried a 3-pointer with 63 seconds left in the very first half to assist Furman go up 37-35 at halftime. Smith had a four-point play and did not miss out on a shot, leading all scorers with 12. Sivills hit 3 3-pointers and scored 11. Furman was aiming for its eighth competition title and first because 2022-23. The Paladins won 6 of them in the 1970s.