Box Score Box Score
CONWAY, S.C. -- A strong start to the second half put Wofford on top but host Coastal Carolina scored the game's final six points to rally for a thrilling 59-58 triumph Sunday afternoon in the women's basketball season opener for both schools.
The Terriers opened a sluggish first half by both teams by scoring the first three points and held the Lady Chanticleers off the scoreboard until Vicky Blanchard netted a bucket at 16:36 cutitng the margin to one. Wofford continued to maintain much of the possession but could not muster more than a four-point lead on a Natalie Gramblin layup to make it 11-7 with 10:10 left in the period.
Coastal Carolina (1-0) used four-straight points from Courtney Grambley to knot it at 11 apiece before a pair of C.J. Ware free throws at 5:02 gave the 'Chants their first advantage, 18-17. Coastal increased its edge to as much as five, 22-17, on another set of free throws by Lacey Lyons. Lyons hit a 3-pointer to match CCU's highest advantage of the half to that point, 25-20, with 2:24 remaining.
Lyons would knock down her third triple of the half with 1:14 to play to increase the lead to 10, 30-20, before junior Liz Miller converted a pair of charity tosses to close out the stanza's scoring and bring the Terriers within eight, 30-22, at the break.
Sophomore Kelly Dwyer jumped started a 12-0 Wofford (0-1) surge out of the lockerroom. She hit the team's first 3-pointer before Miller made her first triple of the season a short time later. On the next two Lady Chanticleer possessions, Dwyer stole a pass in the backcourt and raced to the other end uncontested for layups forcing a timeout to be called.
Coastal did not net its first points of the half until Blanchard pulled the 'Chants within two, 34-32, with her first score of the period. The Terriers used solid free throw shooting to increase their lead to nine, 43-34, with 11:58 showing on the clock. Freshman Mahagony Williams posted her first collegiate points keeping the advantage at eight, 47-39, with 9:43 remaining.
Senior Kelsi Koenig was fed by Gramblin underneath for a layup, while junior Summer Nichols also had an easy conversion giving Wofford its final seven point lead, 57-50, with 2:50 to play.
The Lady Chanticleers then turned to Blanchard, who they had found all second half, for decisive shots down the stretch. The Terriers could not keep from fouling CCU, either, giving the hosts six foul line attempts in the final 1:05 with Coastal making one-half of them.
Following Amanda Stull's miss on the back-end of a two-shot foul with :21 seconds left, Sydnei Moss raced to the loose ball and registered the ensuing layup cutting the deficit to one, 58-57, with :19 seconds showing on the clock.
Moss then stole the ball before Wofford could get it across half-court and fed Blanchard for the game-clinching layup at the :11 mark. The Terriers had one last-ditch effort as Miller could not draw the foul as the final buzzer sounded.
Koenig registered her fifth career double-double by leading Wofford with 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Miller knocked down all eight of her free throw attempts in netting 11 points, while Dwyer added eight. Gramblin also scored a career-high eight points, while Summer Nichols had six steals.
Blanchard led all players with 18 points, 16 of which came in the final 20 minutes. She also grabbed a team-high nine boards, eight on the defensive glass.
Lyons finished with 16 points, including four 3-pointers, on seven attempts.
Wofford will return to action when it hits the Benjamin Johnson Arena floor for the first time this season at 5 p.m. Wednesday against Southern Virginia.
