Box Score Box score
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Led by senior forward Mahagony Williams’ career-high 21 points, the Wofford College picked up their first victory of the 2010-11 season with an 85-81 overtime win over the Campbell Camels Wednesday night in Ben Johnson Arena.
With Williams leading the way, all five of the Terriers starters finished with double-digits points. Rachel Brittenham had 14 points, April Moorhouse followed with 13 points and Mariah Masalin and Jessica Escorza chipped in 11 points apiece.
Willaims toppled her previous career record of 20 points. She had achieved the feat twice in career, most recently against Elon on March 4, 2010. She also recorded her second double-double of the season and the team’s second double-double of the season with a game-high 14 rebounds. The mark is three board shy of her career-high of 17 set against Davidson on February 23, 2008. On the season, Williams is averaging a double-double with 13.3 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per contest.
Wofford got on the scoreboard first in the game for the first time this season as Williams dropped in the first bucket. Wofford used an aggressive upbeat tempo, not shown in their previous two games, to take an 11-5 lead with 16:21 left on the clock. Three minutes later, Campbell had cut the lead to to 16-14, and eventually took the lead, 19-18,on a Monique Spry layup with just under 11 minutes remaining in the half.
The Terriers fought back and reclaimed the lead on a Masalin basket, 24-23, before ceding the lead to the Camels, 26-24, at the seven minute mark on jumper by Spry. Wofford tied the game on a Moorhouse putback at 30 with 5:20 to play, but Campbell closed out the half on 9-3 run to take a 39-33 lead into the intermission.
Spry led all scorers at the break with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor. Both team sported high shooting percentages in the first half as Campbell held a 50 percent field goal percent and a 50 percent three point percentage compared to Wofford’s 42 percent field goal percentage and 33 percent three point percentage. The Camels converted eight of their ten attempts from the free throw line, while the Terriers missed on their three attempts from the line.
Coming out of the locker rooms, Campbell immediately pushed their lead to ten points, 43-33, just a minute into the half. Wofford cut the lead to three on a Daniella Motley offensive rebound and putback, and later to one, 47-46, on a Williams offensive board and basket at the 11:24 mark.
The Terriers tied the contest at 48, on a Masalin putback following a Moorhouse missed three with ten minutes to play, but the Camels regained control of the game and ran the lead to as high as nine, 63-57, with just over four and a half minutes to play.
Wofford slowly chipped away at the lead as they pulled with three, 68-85, on a Williams post move with 1:12 to play.
Following a Terrier timeout and a defensive stop Wofford pulled within one on a two Moorhouse free throws. After trading free throws and made baskets the Terriers caught a break when Kate Cloxton missed the first of two foul shots. On Wofford’s next possession Brittenham made the second of her two attempts to make it a one-point game, 71-70. On the inbounds Wofford immediately fouled Cloxton sending her to the line. She made the first and missed the second leaving the door open for Wofford to tie game on the final possession. Fanchon Sartor, who had only re-entered game after Brittenham fouled out, banked in a floater from the free throw line with .02 seconds left on the clock to send the game into overtime. The basket was Sartor’s only of the game.
In the second half, Wofford outshot Campbell 51 percent overall and 50 percent from three compared to the Camels 35 percent from the floor and 33 percent from three. Down the stretch Wofford’s Moorhouse and Williams made five of their attempt seven free throws as the team made six of their nine attempts. Campbell went to line more but couldn’t convert on enough to seal the win. The Camels where 10-of-15 from the line in the half.
In the overtime period, Wofford never trialled but battled through three ties before breaking the games final tie at 78-78 free throws from Escorza and Williams to make it 80-78 with 53 seconds to play. Escorza seemingly put the game away with a three on one of Sartor’s five assists to make it 83-78 Wofford with 23 seconds left. Williams iced the game with two free throws after a Wofford defensive stop, before Campbell’s Spry made a long three at the buzzer to give the game the final score of 85-81, Wofford.
Williams, who only scored four points in the first half, scored 17 points in the second half and overtime period including seven of Wofford’s 13 overtime points.
Brittenham set a career-high with a game-high six assists, and Masalin’s 11 points tied the sophomore’s career mark. Escorza has now scored in double-digits in each of the Terriers first three games of the season with her 11 points.
Campbell was led by Lauren Yesh, who scored 18 points, while Spry contributed with 17 points. Courtney Cannon added 12 points, and Jazmine Cooper tallied ten points.
Wednesday’s win was the first time Wofford had beaten Campbell in six attempts.
Wofford will return to the hardwood Monday against Southern Virginia in Ben Johnson Arena with tip off slated for 6 p.m.
