CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Wofford women's basketball team used a second half rally to defeat Western Carolina 54-48 on Saturday afternoon at the Ramsey Center. Wofford trailed after two quarters but the Terriers stormed back in the second half outscoring the Catamounts 31-19. With the win, Wofford moves to 8-10 on the season and 2-2 in the Southern Conference. It is only the second time all season that Wofford has won a road game and the first time in conference play.
 
"I am extremely excited for our team. It is hard to win on the road but I thought that the tougher team would win tonight's game and I am extremely happy that we won the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th quarter," Said Head Coach Jimmy Garrity. "Early in the game we were getting the looks we wanted but the shot were not falling. We remained patient and continued to take care of the ball extremely well which allowed us to go on a late run. Credit our players for working hard and making the big shots when they counted."
 
Western Carolina opened up the game on a 13-8 run prior to the first media timeout. Western jumped out to the early lead thanks to six points inside the paint and two long balls. Out of the break, the teams struggled to find any rhythm on offense as the quarter ended with the Catamounts leading 16-9. The Terriers went the final 5:07 without recording a basket and Cairo Booker had the only point during the stretch. Western Carolina shot a solid 6-15 (40%) while Wofford struggled, shooting just 3-16 (18%) from the floor.
 
Wofford picked up its first bucket in six-plus minutes when Cairo Booker knocked down a three-pointer to pull the Terriers within 7, at 19-12. The Catamounts answered with a 5-2 run to grab their largest lead of the game at 24-14 with four and a half minutes left in the second quarter. Thanks to a 9-5 run to end the quarter, Wofford trailed by just six at the halftime break despite shooting just 8-33 (24%) from the field.
 
The Terriers opened the quarter on an 8-5 run cutting the Western lead to 34-31 and forcing the Catamounts to take a timeout with just under seven minutes to play in the third. The teams traded baskets prior to the next stoppage of play as Western continued to lead, 36-33 at the 3:38 mark of the third quarter. Out of the break Da'Ja Green knocked down a jumper to again cut the Carolina lead to one at 36-35. After a scoreless stretch from both teams, A.C. Atha scored a transition layup to give Wofford its first lead of the game as the Terriers led 37-36 at the end of three periods.
 
Wofford again opened the quarter on an 8-0 run, stretching the lead out to nine points with just under seven minutes to play in the game. Western scored its first basket of the fourth quarter at the 6:35 mark to make the score 45-38. At that point the Catamounts went on a 7-2 run, cutting the Wofford lead to three and forcing the Terriers to take a timeout with three minutes remaining. Out of the timeout Western's Sherae Bonner converted a layup to make the score 47-46 with two and a half minutes to play.
 
Marissa Bayer put a stop to the run with a jumper inside the paint, putting the Terriers in front by three with one minute to play. With under thirty seconds to play and the shot clock winding down, Green drove the lane and drew a foul. The freshman guard calmly toed the line and knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the lead to three at 51-48. The Catamounts tried a quick two, but Judith Martin Ruiz's jumper did not fall and Wofford came up with the biggest rebound of the game. Green was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play and once again she came up clutch knocking down a pair at the line to ice the game.
 
In the win, Wofford shot just 21-60 (35%) from the floor and 3-16 (18%) from downtown. Despite the tough night shooting the Terriers were 9-12 (75%) from the line and forced the Catamounts into 12 turnovers. The Terriers had 14 assists on 21 made baskets while turning the ball over just eight times in the game. Wofford was led by Marissa Bayer who scored 16 points and grabbed nine boards while Da'Ja Green added 13 points, seven boards and four assists.
 
Wofford will return to the court on Monday, January 15 when the Terriers host Brevard at 6 PM in the final non-conference game of the season. Wofford will then resume the conference schedule on Thursday, January 18 at 6 PM when Chattanooga visits Spartanburg. The Terriers will then host ETSU on Saturday, January 20 at 2 PM prior to a week off.