SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford women's basketball team scored first and never looked back on Firday night at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. When the dust settled, the Terriers had claimed their first victory of the season with a 106-55 drubbing of the Southern Wesleyan Warriors.
 
"We really needed that win. I'm really happy and proud of our team," said head coach Jimmy Garrity. "They came out pretty hot in that first quarter. I was really pleased with how we shared the ball. I thought we made the extra pass. To have 24 assists off of 41 made baskets, that's really good. I'm happy with the pace that we played. Also, there were some of our players who needed to see some shots go in, I'm thankful that they saw some shots go in to get that confidence."
 
Wofford led for a grand total of 39:46 after its first bucket and never trailed. The Terriers shot 56.2% from the field and 48.3% from behind the arc. The scoring was balanced, with 46 points coming from the paint. Wofford scored at least 50 points in each half, 56 in the first and exactly 50 in the second. Wofford scored 100 points for the first time since Dec. 17, 2019 against Erskine (100-38), the Terriers improve to 3-0 all-time against Southern Wesleyan with 100+ points in each contest.
 
Sydnee Richetto led Wofford in scoring with 19 points, the most in her young career, adding three steals for the Terrier lead as well. The scoring was balanced, with five different Terriers reaching double-digits: Richetto, Lilly Hatton (17), Niyah Lutz (13), Alexis Tomlin and Reagan Rapert (10). Rapert's 10 tied her career-best. Lawren Cook pulled down the most boards with eight, with Niyah Lutz (seven) and Alea Harris (six) close behind. Helen Matthews tallied the most assists with four. Lilly Hatton, Niyah Lutz and Ja'Rae Smith also added three. Smith totaled two points for the first of her career. Abbey Crawford posted six points to match her career-best. All 12 Terriers who played scored in the affair.
 
 "[Sydnee] led us in scoring the past two games. 19 points, three-of-six from three, seven-of-13 for the game – she's just overall a good player," said Garrity on Richetto's performance. "She plays with a lot of heart and passion, and I'm just happy for her. Her teammates are even happier than she is that she played so well."
 
Wofford started the scoring when Reagan Rapert dished to Alexis Tomlin, who put in the layup after the Terriers won the opening tip. Lilly Hatton added her own layup before Southern Wesleyan did the same for their first points. Wofford rattled off seven-straight points, punctuated by Reagan Rapert sinking her first career three-pointer. It was the first of four consecutive possessions with triples for the Terriers, the following coming from Niyah Lutz, Lilly Hatton and Jackie Carman. A few layups later, Abbey Crawford scored a hook shot to help Wofford surpass the quarter-century mark in points with 26. The Warriors did not reach 10 points until just under a minute and a half left in the quarter, and Annabelle Schultz immediately responded by knocking down a three. The Warriors concluded the frame with a made free throw, but the Terriers held a commanding 32-11 lead.
 
Wofford kept the pressure up in the second quarter, with Lawren Cook starting things off with a layup. Annabelle Schultz followed with another triple, and Abbey Crawford swished a hook shot to give the Terriers seven consecutive points. Southern Wesleyan knocked down three-straight three-pointers, but Ja'Rae Smith secured a driving layup for her first career points. Wofford then went on another seven-point run, punctuated by Lilly Hatton's three-point play to lift the Terriers over 50 points. Reagan Rapert would splash a triple, followed by an Alea Harris layup. Southern Wesleyan responded with back-to-back three-pointers to end the half, but Wofford held a strong 56-31 advantage at the break.
 
Southern Wesleyan scored the first five points out of halftime, but Abbey Crawford and Sydnee Richetto responded with buckets to stifle the Warriors attempts. After trading scores, Alexis Tomlin went off, scoring a layup and then stealing the ball to draw a foul and putting home a free throw. Lilly Hatton secured the board and scored the layup after the second free throw missed. Jackie Carman and Lilly Hatton then swished back-to-back threes. The squads traded points again before Reagan Rapert knocked down a pair of free throws, and Niyah Lutz put home a triple, giving Wofford a 79-43 lead after three quarters.
 
With the game already out of hand, Sydnee Richetto kicked into another gear and took charge in the fourth quarter. She splashed a three to begin the frame, and then she followed it with a fastbreak jumper. Southern Wesleyan put up the next five points, but Richetto responded with another three and fastbreak jumper. Alea Harris then scored from three, and Richetto picked up more points with a layup. Helen Matthews scored a fastbreak layup, and Richetto drained another triple to put Wofford into triple-digits with 101 points. The Warriors picked up five more points, but Wofford finished with five-straight points from Helen Matthews to secure the 106-55 triumph.
 
The Terriers will be back in Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Nov. 23 when they host UNC Asheville. Tipoff against the Bulldogs is set for 6:00 pm.