SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Despite leading the majority of the game, the Wofford College women's basketball team couldn't seal the win, as South Carolina State stole a 59-53 overtime victory Tuesday evening in the Benjamin Johnson Arena.
South Carolina State (4-1) locked in during overtime, outscoring the Terriers 10-4 in the five minutes to take the win in Spartanburg on Tuesday night. Four Bulldogs scored in the overtime period, while three members of the SC State squad made five steals to secure victory in extra time. The Terriers are now 10-10 all-time against MEAC opponents, while 0-3 against South Carolina State.
Wofford (1-5) led by as many as 11 points in the game. The team the game's biggest lead on a huge, 21-0 run beginning just two minutes into the second half. The Terriers shot 4-of-5 from deep during the stretch, with Jordan Frazier, Kentra Washington and Maria Corella all knocking down shots from range. Wofford was red hot during the run, knocking down 82 percent of their shots from the field.
Frazier, Corella and Washington all scored in double digit figures for the Terriers. Frazier led the scoring efforts netting 16, shooting 6-of-10 from the field while adding two points from the charity stripe. Corella (6-17 FG, 3-10 3 PT) scored 15, while Washington (3-7 FG, 4-6 FT) added 11. Ashton Fleming led the Terriers' rebounding, grabbing 10 boards, while Khadijah Joyner added eight.
South Carolina State's Kourtney Williams led all scorers, knocking down 7-of-19 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line for 18 total points. Jazzmine Johnson (5-12 FG, 4-6 FT) scored 16 and Brittany Drumgoole (3-6 FG, 3-6 FT) tacked on 10 from the bench.
Wofford crashed the boards, out rebounding the Bulldogs 45-36 and outscoring SC State 9-4 in second chance points. After only eight turnovers in the first half, the Terriers turned the ball over 25 times in the second half and overtime periods, allowing SC State to score 18 points off of their miscues.
The Terriers opened the game on a 7-0 run, with Washington and Frazier knocking down shots. South Carolina State then battled back slowly, as the two sides tied at 14 at the 11:55 mark after a jumper by Drumgoole. Wofford then opened up the lead once again, knocking down 7 straight points, this time courtesy of Corella, Frazier and Washington.
The game was truly one of runs, as South Carolina State closed out the first half with a 9-1 surge fueled almost entirely by Johnson, who knocked down 8 of the points. The Bulldogs entered the half up, 24-23.
SC State didn't slow down at all coming out of the locker room. Williams personally manufactured a 7-0 run before dishing the ball to Jasmine Coleman, who scored a layup to give the Bulldogs a 10-point advantage. The Coleman layup triggered the Terriers' response, as the team tore open its 21-0 streak. After the run the score was 47-36 with 11:07 to go. The Terriers went cold, knocking down only two more points throughout the rest of regulation, while Johnson, Drumgoole and Williams gave the Bulldogs the chance to capitalize in overtime. The Terriers made their way to the free throw line nine times during the second half, but only converting on three attempts would cost them in the end.
The Terriers will head to the road next time out, travelling to Asheville, North Carolina, where the team will take on UNC Asheville. Tipoff is set at 2:00 p.m.
