SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford women's basketball team secured a much-needed win Tuesday night at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium with a 74-52 victory over the High Point Panthers.
The Terriers improve to 2-5 after the first month of play. The Panthers slip to 2-4 on the season.
Wofford led all but 29 seconds of the game and never trailed. The Terriers shot 39.3% from the field and 31.8% beyond the arc. The Terriers outrebounded the Panthers, 43-27. This helped Wofford to 14 second chance points, which bested High Point's four.
"They shoot a ton of threes, but for the most part, we guarded it really well," said head coach
Jimmy Garrity of High Point. "They run some complicated stuff, and you can get lost. In the first couple of minutes, we struggled a little bit, but then we really adjusted and played it well… We needed this win to feel good about ourselves going into this weekend and for the rest of the semester. This is going to be a builder for us. We saw the ball go through the hole quite a bit tonight. I'm just really happy for those guys stepping up and making plays at the end of the day."
Four Terriers scored in double-figures.
Niyah Lutz posted her first double-double of the season, fourth career, with 13 points and 10 rebounds, scoring double-digits in back-to-back contests.
Jackie Carman was the top scorer with a season-high 19 points, tying the single game team-high. She also added two steals.
Lilly Hatton posted 12 points with six boards.
Helen Matthews secured a season-best 11 points and led the team with five assists.
Alexis Tomlin was the top rebounder yet again, pulling down 12 boards to tie her season-best. She finished a point shy of back-to-back double-doubles by scoring nine, and she dished a career-high three assists.
Reagan Rapert totaled two steals with four points and a career-high six boards, and
Sydnee Richetto scored six points on a pair of threes to round out the scoring.
Jackie Carman set the tone 30 seconds in when she put the Terriers on the board first by draining a three-pointer. After a High Point free throw got the Panthers on the board,
Reagan Rapert drilled a triple of her own, followed by a
Lilly Hatton layup. The Panthers stayed close, scoring a jumper and three-pointer, but
Alexis Tomlin knocked down a pair of free throws, and Carman hit a jumper herself to put Wofford ahead by six. The Panthers then drained a triple, and a pair of free throws pulled them back to within one. Wofford secured two more free throws before High Point got a jumper, and then two more Terrier free throws followed by a
Sydnee Richetto triple created some more breathing room. However, High Point refused to back down, draining a three and putting home a layup.
Helen Matthews knocked down two free throws to keep Wofford ahead by five after the first quarter.
Sydnee Richetto drilled a three to start the second frame, but High Point would hit one of its own to keep pace. Then came a layup to bring the Panthers within four.
Helen Matthews would drill a three, though, and
Jackie Carman followed with a layup. The squads traded jumpers, and High Point knocked down two free throws to remain close, but they still couldn't close the gap before halftime. Wofford took a 35-27 lead into the break.
High Point came out of the break swinging, drilling a jumper and three-pointer.
Helen Matthews and
Jackie Carman swished jumpers, but the pesky Panthers remained steadfast, securing a layup to stay within five. Wofford scored a pair of free throws, and High Point knocked down a layup, but
Lilly Hatton's ensuing layup sparked an eight-point run for the Terriers. Though the Panthers hit a triple, Wofford responded with an
Alexis Tomlin layup and Carman three-pointer to end the quarter as Wofford started to finally pull away with a 15-point lead.
Determined not to quit, High Point drilled a three to begin the final quarter.
Jackie Carman took matters into her own hands, however, draining back-to-back jumpers, the latter being a three-point play after she was fouled on the shot. High Point secured a jumper, but Wofford went on a seven-point run, with five of those points coming frim
Niyah Lutz. The teams traded buckets, and the Panthers secured a layup, but Lutz continued to take charge in the fourth by drilling a three-pointer just under the two-minute mark to all but ice the game. The Panthers would hit another three of their own, but it would be for naught as Wofford secured the 74-52 triumph.
"We needed this win more than ever," said
Niyah Lutz. "And we went in, we buckled down and we got the dub, so there's not too much to say after that."
After three-straight home games, the Terriers now hit the road to travel to Conway, S.C. to take on Coastal Carolina this Saturday, Dec. 4. Tipoff at the HTC Center will be at 4:00 pm.
