Box Score Box score (pdf)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Despite a furious second half comeback, the Wofford women’s basketball team fell 59-58 to Appalachian State Wednesday night in the Benjamin Johnson Arena in a Southern Conference show down.
The Terriers (9-8, 2-6) outscored the Mountaineers (12-3, 6-1) 30-22 in the second half after trailing 37-28 at the break. Wofford shot a sizzling 52 percent from the floor, 50 percent from three and made both its free throw attempts in final half, while App State was 31 percent overall, 20 percent from three and 42 percent from three.
With the score tied at 10 with 14:42 to play, the Mountaineers went on a 5-0 run to pull ahead 15-10 two minutes later. Wofford cut the gap back to one point, 16-15 on a three from Erin Frost, but App State answered with a 9-0 run to take a 25-15 lead with 8:33 remaining in the half.
The Mountaineers pushed the lead 29-17 on an Anna Freeman layup with just over five minutes left in the half, and the lead hit 14 points, 35-21, with two minutes to play. Wofford was able to trim the deficit to nine points, 37-28, at the half.
The Terriers only made nine of their 23 field goal attempts in the half for a 39 percent field goal percentage, while the Mountaineers went 17-of-39 for 44 percent. Wofford was 33 percent from three and 80 percent from the free throw line (8-of-10), while App State was 25 percent from three and 50 percent from the line (1-of-2).
The Terriers came out of the locker room and quickly cut into the Mountaineer lead when Logan Morris made a layup four minutes into to play to make the score, 41-39.
After App State took a six-point lead, 45-39, Wofford went on a 9-2 run to take their first and only lead of the second half, 48-47, with 8:44 to play. Rachel Brittenham had five points during the run, including the three that gave the Terriers the lead.
The Mountaineers responded with a 4-0 run over the next three minutes to take a 53-48 lead on a Michelle Taylor layup, but Wofford battled back and tied the game at 56 on a Morris corner three with 3:14 to play.
App State answered on the next possession with a Chakeitha Weldon layup, but Morgan Wrightson retied the game at 58 on Wofford’s next possession with layup at the two and a half minute mark.
Taylor scored the final point of the game with 1:56 on the clock as she made the second of two free throws. Wofford had three attempts at the lead with less than 20 seconds, but couldn’t convert the game-winning basket as they fell 59-58.
Wofford finished the game 22-of-48 from the field for a 46 percent field goal percentage, while App State ended 25-of-65, 39 percent overall. The Terriers were 40 percent from three and 83 percent from the line, 10-of-12, while the Mountaineers went 23 percent from three and 43 percent from the line, 6-of-14.
App State scored 26 points off of 28 Wofford turnovers, while the Terriers scored 13 points off of 15 Mountaineer turnovers. App State also had 15 points off of 19 offensive rebounds, while Wofford scored seven points off of 11 offensive boards.
Morris paced the Terriers with 15 points and was the game’s leading scorer. She finished 6-of-9 from the floor, 2-of-2 from three and made her only free throw attempt. Wrightson followed with 13 points, and Daniella Motley added ten points. Motley was the game’s leading rebounder with ten boards for her team-leading fifth double-double of the season. It was the 12th time this season Wofford had three players in double-figures.
Brittenham had six assists giving her 314 career assists, two shy of fourth place all-time in the Wofford record books.
Anna Freeman was the only Mountaineer with double-digit points as she led the team with 12 points.
Wofford stays at home in the Benjamin Johnson against the College of Charleston on January 21 at 2 p.m. before traveling to Furman on January 23 at 7 p.m.
