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SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford College women's basketball team was plagued by another rough shooting game and fell, 53-44, to North Carolina Central on Saturday night from Benjamin Johnson Arena.
Down 10 in the second half and having trailed by as many as 13, Wofford (1-4) put together a 7-0 run to cut the NC Central (4-2) lead to three with 4:12 remaining, and again to three at 47-44 with 1:34 to play. The Eagles then went a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line and Wofford could not score, suffering its first home loss of the season.
The Terriers shot 26.9 percent (18-67) on the evening en route to its lowest point total of the season. NC Central was not much better at 29.6 percent (16-54), but the Eagles won the turnover battle, 21-17, and hit their free throws in the final minutes to hold off a Wofford comeback.
Senior Logan Morris led the Terriers in scoring with 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Morris added five rebounds, two steals and a block, and was 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Junior post player Lauren Kirby grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds and was two points short of notching her first career double-double, scoring eight with three steals and a block. Sophomore Jordan Frazier scored nine points with four assists and three steals.
For the Eagles, Jessica Freeman tallied a game-high 16 points. Freeman was only 4-of-12 from the field but a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Khyra Conerly was also in double figures with 13 points, while Tisha Dixon had a team-high 10 rebounds.
Wofford looked good in the opening minutes, scoring 10 of the game's first 14 points. Morris hit a 3-pointer on her first shot to give the Terriers the initial lead, and later hit her second trey at the 13:40 mark to put Wofford ahead by eight, 13-5.
A drought ensued that lasted the remainder of the half with Wofford scoring just four points. NC Central took advantage, using a 7-0 run to get within a point. Morgan Jones then lit up from deep, nailing back-to-back treys, and followed that with a layup to score eight straight Eagle points and give her team its first lead of the game at 20-15.
Sophomore Khadijah Joyner put down the last two Terrier points of the half before Freeman's layup in the final minute gave NCCU a 23-17 lead at the intermission. NC Central scored 13 of its points off the bench and had eight turnovers to Wofford's 12.
Freeman got the Eagles off to a good start out of the locker room with a 3-pointer off a Terrier turnover in the first minute. The lead then grew to double digits for the first time on a fast-break layup from Conerly, 30-19, and NCCU grabbed its largest lead of 13 points 30 seconds later, 32-19, on a pair of Conerly free throws.
The two sides went on to trade baskets through a good portion of the second half. Wofford cut the lead to six with an 11-4 run that included back-to-back 3-pointers from Chanel Stokes and Frazier, but NC Central hiked its lead right back to double digits and led 45-34 with 7:58 remaining.
The Terriers gave it one last effort. Morris made a jumper in the paint and was fouled for three points the old-fashioned way, and followed with another jumper a minute later to get Wofford back within six. Frazier then went to work, grabbing a rebound a racing down the court to cut the margin to four.
At the 4:12 mark, Stokes was fouled and made 1-of-2 from the line, getting Wofford within a basket for the first time since five minutes remained in the first half. Neither side scored on multiple possessions over the next minute and change until Raquel Davis was fouled and made her free throws, extending the NCCU lead back to five, 47-42. Frazier got Wofford back within three, scoring a layup with 1:34 to play, and the Terriers took a timeout down 47-44.
Out of the stoppage, Conerly missed a layup but came up big by getting her own rebound and was fouled by sophomore Ashton Fleming. Conerly made both free throws and the Terriers were unable to put up any more points through the final minute.
The Wofford women's basketball team is back in action on Wednesday, hosting Bluefield College inside Benjamin Johnson Arena at 6 p.m.
Terrier Notes
- Lauren Kirby grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds and was two points shy of her first collegiate double-double with eight.
- Logan Morris scored a team-high 13 points, marking her second double-figure scoring game of the season.
- NC Central earned its first ever win against Wofford. The Terriers lead the all-time series 2-1.
