SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The women's basketball team achieved a five-game winning streak at home for the first time since the 2011-12 season in their 70-59 win over the Kennesaw State Owls Saturday afternoon at Ben Johnson Arena.
 
The five-game stretch ties the longest home winning streak in Wofford's NCAA Division I era, previously doing it in the 2006-07 season as well. Wofford became a Division I program at the start of the 1995-96 season.
 
The Terriers (5-8) started slow, going 4-17 from the field to start the game, but they ended up outshooting the Owls (5-10) for the game, shooting 39.6 percent from the field compared to Kennesaw State's 37.3 percent mark.
 
"We've really been focusing on the little things," Coach Edgar I. Farmer, Jr., said after the game. "We knew that coming out of the break, we had some things to work on after the Coastal game. I thought the team did an outstanding job coming back focused and ready to work. They were great in the preparation and the process for today's game. We took a punch from Kennesaw, but we didn't get down. It was a game of ebbs and flows. They made a run, we made a run, but I'm really proud of our team in the way we stuck together and played good basketball today."
 
Trailing 18-11 early in the second period, forward Kentra Washington made a layup and guard Jordan Frazier hit her only three of the game to make it a two-point game. The teams traded baskets until a three from guard Sarah Traynor tied the game at 24 apiece. The Terriers took the lead in the next possession with Washington getting fouled and making two free throws.
 
Wofford entered halftime up 28-27, but Kennesaw State retook the lead early in the third period when forward Jasmine McAllister converted a three-point play in the paint to make it 33-31 Owls advantage.
 
A Washington layup tied the game again, and the forward converted a three-point play of her own to give the Terriers a 36-33 lead. The Terriers then closed the period on a 14-5 run to cushion their lead.
 
The Terriers for the game made 21-23 free throws (91.3 percent), their best mark this season and the eighth best single-game percentage in program history. Coach Farmer attributed the team's shooting at the charity stripe and making adjustments at halftime as keys to building the lead.
 
"We really didn't play our best basketball, yet we shot the free throws very well to keep us in the game, and it stemmed the tide," Coach Farmer said. "We talked about if we could just knock down a couple shots, play how we normally do, then the tide was going to turn. We talked about getting consecutive stops on the defensive end, and that's what we did."
 
Washington led the Terriers with a game-high 16 points and nine rebounds to go with three steals and two assists. She shot 4-9 from the field and 7-7 from the free throw line as well.
 
Frazier and Corella also scored in double figures for the Terriers, with Frazier netting 14 points on 4-9 shooting and Corella chipping in 12 points on 4-7 shooting, going 2-2 from three.
 
Owls guard Clara Young led her team offensively with 15 points while guard Deandrea Sawyers added 12 points and eight rebounds. McAllister finished with eight rebounds as well to go with seven points.
 
Kennesaw State outrebounded Wofford 39-35, but the Terriers won the turnover battle, forcing the Owls to commit 17 turnovers compared to the Terriers' 13. Wofford scored 15 points off Kennesaw State turnovers and also had a 22-13 advantage in bench scoring.
 
The Terriers enter next week with Southern Conference play beginning Thursday against defending league-champion Chattanooga.
 
"We understand that conference play starts now, and we wanted to start 2016 on the right foot," Coach Farmer said. "We know that starting conference, you have to take it up another level and we're excited to do that."
 
The game against the Mocs is home at Ben Johnson Arena, with tip-off set for 6:00 p.m.