Box Score Box Score
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Wofford clamped down on defense in the second half and hit shots down-low to garner a 78-71 Southern Conference triumph over Upstate rival Furman Saturday evening inside the Benjamin Johnson Arena in Spartanburg, S.C. The victory is the Terriers' sixth in a row and second straight in league action.
Both teams came out aggressive on the offensive end during the opening 20 minutes with Wofford (9-4, 2-1 SoCon) hitting 44.4 percent (12-of-27) from the field and Furman knocking down 11-of-24 field goals (45.8 percent). However, the Terriers turned up the intensity on defense in the second stanza and limited the Lady Paladins to just five field goals, on 23 attempts, during the final session.
Wofford's early 4-2 lead was erased by an 8-2 spurt by Furman (4-10, 0-4 SoCon), which was started by a 3-pointer from Kali Holtfreter as the visitors took a 10-6 lead with just over five minutes played. The Terriers, however, answered back with six-straight points of their own, including four by freshman Mahagony Williams, to take a 12-10 lead at 14:21.
Lee Stephens then hit a triple to put the Lady Paladins back on top by one. The teams then traded baskets for the next two minutes before Melissa Liebschwager added another trey to push the Furman advantage to four, 20-16, at the 11:00 minute mark. Stephens would knock down another 3-pointer a minute-and-a-half later to cap a 10-2 Lady Paladin spurt and swell the edge to seven, 23-16.
Six-straight free throws by Wofford trimmed the deficit to one, 23-22, at 7:28, before Sarah Baker countered with a pair to push the lead back to three with 7:06 to play. Sophomore Kelly Dwyer then hit one of the Terriers' only two 3-pointers on the night to tie the game before Furman again scored five in a row to take a 30-25 lead with 4:56 remaining.
Back-to-back layups by sophomore Natalie Gramblin and Williams brought Wofford back to within one, while two charity tosses from senior Kelsi Koenig tied then gave the Terriers a one-point edge, 31-30, with 4:05 showing on the clock. Junior Liz Miller added a pair nearly 20 seconds later and Williams then contributed another set as Wofford used to a 10-0 run to claim a 35-30 lead with 3:30 to play in the half.
Stephens then hit a pair herself, but Miller answered on the next possession with the only other Terrier 3-pointer to keep the lead at six, 38-32. Furman would take over on the foul line, hitting six in a row, including four straight by Sarah Baker, to knot the scoring at 40-40 with a minute left. On the final possession before halftime, Gramblin missed a jumper, but Koenig was in position for the rebound and then hit the put-back as time expired to give Wofford a 42-40 lead at the break.
The Terriers hit the first four field goals of the second half, compared to just a free throw from Furman's Chrissy Phelps, as the hosts built a nine-point cushion, 50-41, with 15:03 to play in the frame. Gramblin connected on 1-of-2 free throws at 12:41 to give Wofford a 10-point edge, the only double-digit lead by either team. The Lady Paladins, however, kept chipping away and embarked on an 18-6 streak to tie the game at 59-59 with 9:18 to play when Katie Agin tossed in a pair of free throws.
Just before Agin's two free throws, Stephens hit another 3-pointer at 9:49 which would be the final field goal Furman would make the remainder of the game.
After Stephens put the Lady Paladins back up two, 61-59, with two free throws, consecutive layups by sophomore Kathlyn Varno provided the Terriers with the lead once more, 63-61. Gramblin then stole the ball in the backcourt and raced to the other end for a layup and four-point Wofford advantage, 65-61, with 7:02 to play.
The teams traded free throws before Miller intercepted another backcourt pass and hit a fast break layup, plus the foul shot after being fouled, to increase the Terrier lead back to seven, 72-65, with 4:40 remaining. After a foul was called on Wofford and a technical foul situation, Stephens made all four charity tosses to cut the edge back to three, 72-69, with 4:25 left.
Williams added another layup and Agin's free throws at 3:46 proved to be the final Furman points. The Terriers iced the triumph with four free throws of their own, with the final three coming from Gramblin.
Wofford has won six straight games for the first time since the Terriers tallied a six-game winning streak from Feb. 2, 1989, to Dec. 2, 1989. That run overlapped two seasons, including the 1988-89 campaign as Wofford was competing as an NCAA Division II program for the first time. The Terriers have had only six winning streaks of at least six games throughout their history.
Miller led the charge and a trio of Wofford players in double figures with 19 points, including a team-high eight free throws. She also paced the squad with four steals. Gramblin chipped in a career-best 13 points, which included a 7-of-9 performance from the foul line. Williams finished with 12 points, one shy of her career-high outings.
Junior Kate Dempsey nearly recorded her second career double-double with nine points and a game-high nine rebounds.
Stephens led all players with 14 points, including a 13-of-14 effort from the foul line. She also had a game-high six steals. Baker added 14 points and a team-best six boards.
The game featured 57 fouls, while the Terriers converted 26 free throws and the Lady Paladins knocked down 33-of-37 attempts from the line.
Wofford will step out of Southern Conference action for the final time this season when it travels to Lexington, Ky., for a 7 p.m. Monday matchup with Southeastern Conference foe Kentucky. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
