Magee scores 36, No. 24 Wofford races past Samford 85-64
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — When it was over, Wofford coach Mike Young took a brief moment to enjoy the view.
Fletcher Magee made eight 3-pointers on his way to a season-high 36 points, and the 24th-ranked Terriers beat Samford 85-64 on Saturday.
Wofford (26-4, 18-0) became the fourth school to close out an unbeaten Southern Conference schedule. They have won 17 in a row heading into the conference tournament.
Steph Curry-led Davidson was the last team to accomplish the feat, running the SoCon schedule during the 2007-08 season. Young had not talked much about the win streak until recently. Now, he could bask in the accomplishment.
"That was a really, really good team," Young said. "I am not comparing my team in 18-19 to 2007-08 Davidson. That was a special outfit. But we're pretty darn good, now."
Samford (16-15, 6-12) lost its fourth straight game.
The Terriers needed a buzzer beater to beat Samford 107-106 at home on Jan. 24, but they pulled away in this one by outscoring the Bulldogs 54-35 in the second half.
"We just relaxed, let it all hang out and played like we've played all year," Young said. "Literally, care-free. Ears back. If you feel the leather, let it go."
Fourteen of Wofford's 18 conference wins were by double digits.
"It's an amazing accomplishment," Young said.
Magee went 13 for 22 from the field, including 8 of 14 from beyond the arc. He also had four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Nathan Hoover scored 17 points for Wofford, and Chevez Goodwin had 10. Goodwin was averaging just 3.8 points per game.
"Our team is really deep," Goodwin said. "We could start anybody on our team. We've got two starting fives, honestly. If your number is called, you've got to step up."
Magee scored 11 of Wofford's 13 points in the first 3:27 of the second half, extending the Terriers' advantage to 44-33.
The Terriers made 20 of 30 shots and 9 of 15 3-pointers in the second half. Hoover scored 13 in the half.
"Nobody really talks about him a lot, but next year when Magee's gone, Hoover will be Magee," Samford coach Scott Padgett said. "He shoots it at that same kind of level."
Magee upped his scoring average to 20.6 points per game.
"This is a product of his hard work," Goodwin said. "The guy is incredible. If he doesn't play in the NBA next year, I'm shaking my head. He's a great player."
Josh Sharkey and Robert Allen had 16 points apiece for Samford. Ruben Guerrero scored 12 points.
BIG PICTURE
Wofford: The Terriers hit 14 of 30 from behind the arc, but also scored 24 points in the paint.
Samford: Samford outrebounded Wofford 37-36, but went 1 of 23 from behind the 3-point line. The Bulldogs shot 24 of 37 from 2-point range.
UP NEXT
Wofford will be the No. 1 seed for the SoCon tourney and play in the quarterfinals next Saturday.
No. 7 seed Samford will play in the first round of the conference tournament on Friday.
