CINCINNATTI – The Wofford College women's basketball team couldn't slow down BIG EAST foe Xavier, dropping its season opener, 75-51, in the Cintas Center on Saturday afternoon.
Wofford (0-1) played the Musketeers tight through the first half, showing promise throughout. After the first four minutes, both sides were tied at 7. Sophomore Kentra Washington led the charge with five quick points on a three pointer and two free throws.
Xavier (1-0) took the first media time to regroup, entering the game recalibrated. The adjustments were noticeable, as the Musketeers went on a 21-8 run. The Terriers wouldn't go down without a fight, as two monster blocks from junior forward Khadijah Joyner helped lead a 6-0 run headed into the locker room, trailing Xavier 36-26.
The Wofford loss moves the Terriers to 0-3 all-time against
BIG EAST opponents. Their most recent tussle with the conference was in 2009, when the team fell 90-57 to Georgetown. The Terriers drop to 4-7 in season openers under 11th-year head coach Edgar I. Farmer, Jr.'s direction.
Despite the loss, multiple Terriers had career days. Sophomore Maria Corella scored a team-high and single-game best 15 points in the outing. Corella went 6-of-16 from the field, scoring on two of four attempts from beyond the arc. Joyner had a field day on defense, rejecting five shots for the Terriers - her previous game-high was three. The junior also posted a career-best eight points, scoring four buckets on seven tries from the field.
Xavier attacked the Terriers with multiple scoring threats. Brianna Glover, Marquia Turner, Raeshaun Gaffney and Maleeka Kynard all posted double-digit points for the Musketeers. Kynard led the team's scoring effort with 14, shooting 5-for-8 from the field while making 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. Gaffney and Turner each had 12, while Glover added 10. Xavier shot 38.1 percent to Wofford's 35.6 percent.
The Terriers outrebounded the Musketeers, 48-43, much in part to junior Ashton Fleming's 11 rebounds. Fleming earned her fifth career double-double, scoring 13 in the outing, going 6-of-12 from the field with one 3-pointer. The junior joined Corella as the only Terriers to score double digits against the Musketeers. Xavier capitalized on the Wofford's 28 miscues, scoring 34 points off of turnovers.
Xavier entered the second half forcing the ball inside, leading the Terriers to foul five times within the first four minutes. By forcing the defense to play more reserved and attacking the hoop, the Musketeers broke open a 34-11 run to open the second half. The Terriers found some traction late in the game, clawing back a 14-4 streak in the last five and a half minutes. Freshman Kelsey Lambdin played her first minutes of her collegiate career, entering the game with just under four minutes of action remaining. Joyner fouled out with 1:58 remaining, with eight points, eight rebounds and five blocks.
The Terriers travel tonight to Athens, Ohio, where they will rest Sunday before playing Ohio University on Monday. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. in the Convocation Center.
