Box Score

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Wofford withstood a strong second half effort from Savannah State to hold on for a 65-55 triumph Tuesday evening in the first game of the UNF Holiday Classic inside the UNF Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

Junior Liz Miller opened the game with a trio of 3-pointers, from various points behind the arc, to help the Terriers take an early 12-9 advantage at 12:20. The Lady Tigers got their first field goal at 14:30 from LaShara Smith following four free throws by Ivy Smith.

Wofford (5-4) then helped open the scoring on the strength of five straight free throws before junior Summer Nichols hit a field goal at 8:08 to make it 18-13. Savannah State, however, came back on a 9-2 surge and claimed a 22-20 lead, its first of the tilt, with 3:31 to play in the half.

Sophomore Natalie Gramblin then hit back-to-back shots for the Terriers to put them back on top at 2:51. Her four-point swing carried Wofford into the half on a 13-6 run, which also included a corner triple from freshman Maddie Helms. The Terriers entered the break ahead 33-26.

Two quick buckets by Smith and Patrice Robinson brought Savannah State (4-5) within three, 33-30, but a look down-low to freshman Mahagony Williams by sophomore Kelly Dwyer netted Wofford’s first field goal of the second half at 17:12. Nichols then drew a foul, converted both free throws, and added a mid-range jumper at 15:56 to push the lead back to seven, 40-33, at the under-16 minute timeout.

Williams added two more shots for the Terriers, giving them their largest lead of the contest at 11, 44-33, with 13:20 to play and forcing a Lady Tiger timeout. Following the timeout, Savannah State embarked on an 8-0 surge with four different players scoring buckets to cut the deficit to three, 44-41, at 11:23.

The Lady Tigers continued to claw their way back even though Nichols ended a nearly four-minute field goal drought for the Terriers with a shot just below the foul line at 9:38. Ivy Smith maintained her scoring output for Savannah State, while LaShara Smith cut the gap to two, 47-45, with an even eight minutes left.

Miller then combined with classmate Kate Dempsey for a play similar to how the duo ended the Southeastern Louisiana game. Miller’s missed free throw ended up in the hands of Dempsey, who then converted the short put-back for a five-point Terrier edge with 7:15 showing on the clock.

The Lady Tigers kept the score within four until Miller nailed her fourth 3-pointer of the game and added a jumper to increase the lead to five, 58-53. Sophomore Kathlyn Varno pushed the advantage to seven before the Terriers connected on five free throws to end the game.

Miller led all players with 21 points, her third career 20+ performance and second this season. The total is a season high and just one shy of her career-best outing.

Williams tied her career high with 13 points, while Nichols added 11 and Gramblin chipped in a career-best 10 points.

Varno pulled down a game-best nine rebounds, including seven on the defensive glass.