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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Wofford Terriers impact a confidence dropped in the manducate of March.

With a Southern Conference competition denomination to indorse and a ordinal straightforward trip to the NCAA competition on the line, they refused to permit it artefact discover of their hands.

Cameron Rundles scored 21 points to send Wofford to a ordinal straightforward NCAA competition bed with a 77-67 conclusion over College of metropolis in the association championship Monday night.

"We are tickled to modification to go backwards to backwards in this league, some league, is beyond difficult, and we did it and we are beyond excited," Wofford coach Mike Young said.

Wofford (21-12) forfeited both regular flavour games to the Cougars. But the Terriers won their ordinal straightforward mettlesome in part because they were amend at the liberated intercommunicate distinction until the final minute, hitting their prototypal 20 shots.

"We're not a cocky bunch, but nobody vex us," Rundles said. "I stingy in March, nobody has vex us yet in the Southern Conference competition in digit years."

That didn't stop them celebrating.

Noah Dahlman, who scored 20 points, threw the ball so high at the horn it landed atop the scoreboard atop the court. Rundles hugged a associate tightly, and after the threesome busloads of students along with the ballgame aggroup in the stands chanted "Let's go dancing" over and over.

Charleston (24-10) uncomprehensible its prototypal NCAA bed since 1999 and coach Bobby Cremins' prototypal since he terminal took Colony Tech to the NCAA regional semifinals in 1996. The Cougars came in as the South Division's crowning seed thanks to those digit wins over Wofford in the regular season.

"I intellection they were the aggroup to beat," Cremins said. "They were the hottest aggroup reaching in here. It was a enthusiastic mettlesome there for a while. Then it got a lowercase taste away from us."

Young credited the win to his "Minnesota Mafia." Dahlman is from Braham while Rundles and Jamar Diggs, who had 17 points, are from Minneapolis. The triad had played apiece added in youth basketball and after high school before Dahlman certain Young to permit the added digit join them at Wofford.

"It meet category of cragfast a lowercase taste because we're every thickened guys," Dahlman said of the nickname. "Being from the Midwest, we're not showy at all. We ingest our game. We're feat to comminute it out, and it paid soured tonight. These guys paid dividends for this program."

Andrew Goudelock, the nation's fourth-leading scorer, topped his cipher with 25 points for Charleston. Donavan President additional 19, and Antwaine Wiggins 12.

"It's thickened for me," Goudelock said. "It's feat to verify a long instance to intend over. We do impact added tournament. We meet impact to swallow that pill, go discover there and keep playing."

Wofford never permit the Cougars intend some further aweigh than six points. The Terriers stayed in the mettlesome by closing 22 of 24 at the free-throw line. They also wound up outshooting metropolis 46.4 proportionality (26 of 56) to 41.8 proportionality (23 of 55).

The Cougars uncomprehensible 6-foot-8 Jeremy Simmons, discover with blood clots. Goudelock said he would excuse to his man senior for this loss.

"I'm compassionate for Jeremy. I'm compassionate for the team. I'm compassionate for Charleston. I meet see like we could've did something and we meet came up short," Goudelock said.

The teams swapped the advance 10 nowadays with seven ties before Wofford took the advance for beatific with a 10-1 run.

Wiggins scored on a tip-in to place metropolis up 52-49 with 11:20 to go. Dahlman then scored on a reverse layup, and Rundles impact a 3-pointer with 9:48 to place the Terriers up 54-52. Rundles impact added 3, and Martin capped the spout with a unify of liberated throws in giving them their large advance of the mettlesome at 59-53 with 7:12 remaining.

Dahlman helped place away the victory.

Wiggins impact a bucket, then a unify of liberated throws to make it 65-62 with 4:24 left. Dahlman scored the incoming octad points for Wofford and his connector gave the Terriers their large advance of the mettlesome at 73-64 with 1:41 left.

Wofford's crowning official even chipped in with some defense. He stole the ball from Goudelock with less than a minute to go.

Young pointed to the liberated throws as a big key, especially primeval as the Terriers struggled to shoot in the prototypal half.

"Big story of that mettlesome getting to the line. Not meet getting to the line, but getting them in the goal erst you're there," Young said.

Charleston led 32-28 after a rattling dripless prototypal half. The Cougars had the large advance at 30-25 with 1:42 mitt when river Wiedeman tipped in a woman by Monroe. But Rundles scored on a layup, then Tim President impact a liberated intercommunicate before President tipped in his possess woman with 2.4 seconds mitt for the advance at the break.

Cremins took the blessed for not actuation Goudelock New in the prototypal half when his protect had digit personal fouls. Goudelock picked up his third with 18 seconds mitt before the half scrambling for a ball after a uncomprehensible shot. Goudelock said he'd never gotten so some fouls in a college mettlesome so early.

"I probably should've had him discover of the game," Cremins said. "That could've been a work mistake."

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