SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford women's basketball team defeated Western Carolina, 68-59, in their SoCon opener on Thursday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena.
 
Despite losing key contributors to injury in the second half, the rest of the Terriers stepped up and closed out the game late in the fourth quarter.
 
"We just hung on," head coach Jimmy Garrity said. "That is what good teams do. It is not always going to be a perfect night, but we didn't let one bad possession turn into three, four, or five bad possessions."
 
With the win, Wofford stands at 10-5 on the season. Their 10 wins are already one more than last season and the most since they won 13 in the 2011-12 season.
 
The Terriers were led by Maria Corella. The senior guard delivered season highs in points and rebounds, scoring 18 and grabbing 10 boards. It was her first career double-double and her 10 rebounds were also a career high. Corella made three shots from behind the arc, all in the first half.
 
"I was feeling great," Corella said. "I'm really glad the ball was going in the first half because they were really paying attention to Chloe."
 
Despite a 1 for 5 shooting first half, Wofford leading scorer Chloe Wanink responded with an outstanding second half, scoring 14 points in the final two quarters, including eight in the fourth quarter. The sophomore guard converted four out of five free throws down the stretch to put the game out of reach.
 
Off the bench, Marissa Bayer provided 25 minutes and scored 10 points to go with eight rebounds and two assists.
 
Neither team shot the ball well in the first quarter, but the Terriers played suffocating defense, holding the Catamounts to just eight points on 25% from the field.
 
Wofford extended their lead in the second by going on a 12-0 run to begin the period. Corella caught fire, scoring 10 of her 18 points in the second. Kentra Washington added six points and three rebounds to help the Terriers to a 15 point halftime lead.
 
However, Western Carolina responded with a strong third quarter to cut their deficit to single digits. Key Terrier players Kentra Washington and Amoshia Blakeney both left the game with injuries during the stretch.
 
The Terriers regained momentum by outscoring the Catamounts, 10-3, over the first five minutes of the fourth to extend their lead to as much as 14 points. Despite having just six healthy players after Sarah Traynor fouled out with three minutes left, the Catamounts were only able to cut the lead to eight with just one minute left.  Once again, the team was able to close out the game on the free throw line, knocking down seven of 11 foul shots in the final 10 minutes.
 
"The reason why we are where we are right now is because we're together," Garrity said. "The next person has got to step up. We'll get through this together."
 
The Terriers owned a significant rebounding advantage, grabbing 43 compared to Western Carolina's 30. The team also only allowed the Catamounts three offensive rebounds.
 
With the win, the Terriers took their SoCon opener for the first time since 2010-11 and just the third time since joining the conference in 1997-98.
 
Also, the team has now won seven straight home games, which is the longest home winning streak in the SoCon era.
 
Up next, the Terriers will stay home to host UNCG this Saturday, Jan. 7 at 2 p.m.