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SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Rachel Brittenham’s game-winning three with 44 seconds left to play was part of a 15-2 run over the final five minutes to give the Wofford Terriers a 63-59 win over Davidson Monday night in the Benjamin Johnson Arena in a Southern Conference game.
Wofford improves to 9-5 overall and 2-3 in the SoCon, while Davidson suffered its first conference loss and drops to 9-6 overall and 5-1 in the SoCon. Two Brittenham threes including the game winner capped off Wofford’s 15-2 run over the final 5:15.
Wofford opened the game with a 7-0 run through the first two minutes of play. Logan Morris had four of the Terriers’ opening seven points. Davidson scored the next five points to cut the lead to 7-5 with 16:30 to play on a Laura Murray three, but Wofford responded and pushed the lead back to six points a minute later.
Wofford took its largest lead of the half, 25-18, at the ten-minute mark on a three-point play by Morgan Wrightson, and held a six-point lead, 30-24, on Morris layup three and half minutes later. However, Davidson ended the final 6:31 of play with a 10-2 run to take a 34-32 lead into the locker rooms. Davidson’s Jasmine Calin scored the final basket of the half for either team on a layup with 2:33 on the clock.
Wofford finished the half 46 percent from the field, 50 percent from three and 57 percent from the line, while Davidson was 42 percent overall 57 percent from behind the arc and 57 percent from the line. Wrightson and Murray had 12 points at the half to lead their respective teams.
Davidson came out of the break and immediately pushed its lead to eight points, 40-32, just over three minutes into play. Wofford cut the lead to five points, 40-35, on a Brittenham three with 15:46 on the clock. It was Wofford’s first basket since the 3:58 mark in the first half, a scoring drought spanning 8:14.
Michelle Merritt got an offensive rebound and putback that cut the Wildcat lead to 44-43 with 12:18 to play, but Davidson responded with baskets by Kristen Johnsen and Sophia Aleksandravicius to push the lead back to five points, 48-43, 45 seconds later.
Two minutes later, Wofford cut the lead to two points, 48-46, following a Mariah Masalin jumper and a Wrightson free throw, but again, Davidson answered with a 7-0 to take the largest lead of either team in the game, 55-46, on a Murray layup with 6:42 remaining.
Trailing by nine, 57-48, Wofford mounted its final charge at the lead as they went on a 7-0 run and cut the lead down to 57-55 with 2:18 to play. Masalin had four points and April Moorhouse had three points during the run.
Davidson scored is final basket of the game on an Amanda Ottaway layup with 1:53 remaining to take a four point lead, 59-55, but Brittenham responded for the Terriers with back-to-back threes. Her first came at 1:32 cutting the Wildcat lead 59-58, and her second proved to the game winner as she banked in a three from the right side with two seconds on the shot clock to give Wofford its first lead of the half 61-59 with 44 seconds left in regulation.
Wofford sealed the 63-59 win with two defensive stops and a free throw each from Wrightson and Moorhouse.
The Terriers ended the game shooting 41 percent from the floor, 46 percent from three and 58 percent from the free throw line, while the Wildcats ended at a 39 percent clip from the floor, 46 percent from three and 53 percent from the line.
Brittenham’s game winner was her fourth three of the half giving her 12 second half points and a team-high 15 total points. She finished 5-of-8 from the floor and 5-of-6 from three. She was the first Terrier this season to make five threes in a game and the last Terrier since Maddie Helms made five threes against Chattanooga on January 2, 2011. She also ends the game tied for second for three-point shooting percentage in a single-game with her 5-of-6, .833, performance.
Wrightson finished with 14 points, while Daniella Motley picked up her fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and career-high 15 rebounds. She now has the Terriers last four double-doubles on the season and recorded a double-double in three of the last four Wofford games.
April Moorhouse grabbed ten rebounds and chipped in eight points, while Brittenham had a game-high six assists.
Murray, who had 16 points, led Davidson’s offense. Aleksandravicius collected her fifth double-double of the season with ten points and 15 rebounds.
Wofford will take to the road with games at Chattanooga on January 13 at 7 p.m. and at Samford on January 15 at 3 p.m.
