GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Wofford women's basketball team had never beaten the rival Furman Paladins in Greenville until tonight, as the Terriers outlasted the Paladins in a hard-fought contest to triumph, 74-69, at Timmons Arena Thursday night. Behind four double-digit scorers, Wofford remains perfect in league play at 2-0, improving to 7-9 overall. Furman drops to 8-8, 1-1 in SoCon action.
 
"I'm just really happy for our players," said head coach Jimmy Garrity of the historic win. "And all the alumni that have supported us, I know they were all watching. And this is a win for all of them, too. We've put in the work. Our players have put in the work, followed the gameplan and they played loose; they played free. The majority of that game, we played some really good basketball. So I'm just super proud of them."
 
This was the 59^th meeting all-time between the two rivals, and the 30^th in Greenville, S.C. Wofford entered the matchup 0-29 all-time on the road in the series. With the win, the Terriers earn their 12^th win ever against Furman, but more importantly, secure their first win at their rival's home court.
 
"That's freaking awesome," said senior guard Niyah Lutz of the historic victory. "Especially as a senior, doing something that's never been done. I won't get another chance to come back here next year and do it, so we made sure we got it done tonight for our seniors and everybody on this team and in the program."
 
Wofford shot 45.2 percent from the field, a little better than Furman's 41.4 percent. However, the Terriers dominated from three-point range, totaling 39.1 percent to Furman's 20.0 percent. The Terriers stumbled a little out of the gate, trailing 21-12 after the first quarter and shooting only 25.0 percent, 12.5 percent from beyond the arc. Wofford bounced back with a 26-point second quarter, holding Furman to just 11 points in the frame. Wofford would shoot better than 50 percent in two of the final three quarters, and the lowest percentage was the fourth quarter's 40.0 percent. Wofford also shot 50 percent or better from three in two of the final three frames, with the worst percentage being 33.3 percent in the fourth quarter.
 
Furman outrebounded Wofford 44-35, but the Terriers overcame it for their first victory of the season when outrebounded. Though the squads were close in turnovers, with Furman committing 16 and Wofford 14, the Terriers made more of their opportunities with 24 points off turnovers to Furman's 10.
 
Four Terriers totaled double-digits, the most yet this season. Niyah Lutz led the way with 25 points, a career-high. She added two boards and assists. Reagan Rapert also put up a career-high with 17 points. She topped the Terriers with five assists and pulled down five boards with two steals. Annabelle Schultz remained hot, tallying 14 points. Though the Paladins limited her to just 1-of-5 from three, the sophomore adjusted well and utilized mid-range floaters and the free throw line to her advantage. She added four rebounds and two assists. Lilly Hatton was the final Terrier in double figures, putting up 10 points while securing five rebounds. Alexis Tomlin again led the team in rebounding with 11. The reigning SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week scored four points and notched two blocks. Helen Matthews rounded out the scoring with four points as well.
 
"You could see the look in Niyah's eyes," said Garrity of his leading scorer. "'Coach, what do you need from me? These last five minutes, what do you need from me?' She wasn't going to let us lose. She hit that big three at the end, came through and got to the rim, got the deflection down there at the end… And Reagan took care of the ball, made some big threes in there. She got us running in transition."
 
"It feels great, honestly," said Lutz of her career-best performance. "All week I've put in work knowing that I'd have to knock down some big shots in this game, and I let the game come to me. And that's what happens when you let the game come to you."
 
With a couple of players unavailable to play due to Covid-19 protocols, the Terriers were shorthanded and required other players to step up into extended and/or new roles. The Wofford squad answered the challenge, with Reagan Rapert (37) and Annabelle Schultz (38) each totaling new career-highs in minutes played. Niyah Lutz tied her career-best with 39 minutes.
 
"They know they needed to step up," Garrity said of his short-handed squad. "[Annabelle] did a fantastic job.Alea [Harris] came in, did a fantastic job. It was a total team effort. Again, we didn't have Jackie [Carman] today, which over the last five games, that's about 15, 16 points. But they took it upon themselves to up their game a little bit."
 
Wofford opened the game with the first five points via the hand of Reagan Rapert. The freshman knocked down a pair from free throw line, then she followed it up with a three-pointer. But the lead was short-lived as a nine-point Furman run put the Paladins ahead. Wofford would try to bounce back, but each time Furman responded. Lilly Hatton's jumper was nixed by a triple. A Niyah Lutz basket was followed by a six-point run. Lutz scored again, and the squads traded free throws. A Paladin layup ended the frame, with Wofford down 21-12.
 
Needing a momentum shift, Niyah Lutz delivered for the Terriers with back-to-back threes to open the second quarter and cut the lead to just three. However, Furman would pull back out to 10 points ahead. Then, Wofford came roaring back. Annabelle Schultz knocked down a free throw, and Reagan Rapert drained a triple. Schultz then converted an and-one play to bring the Terriers within three again. The Paladins got a basket, but the momentum firmly rested with Wofford. Rapert again drilled a trey, and Niyah Lutz splashed one of her own to put Wofford back in front, a lead that would prove to stand. With buckets from Lutz and Rapert again, followed by a Schultz free throw, Rapert would knock down a layup with 28 seconds to go before halftime to cap a 13-point run. Though Furman scored to end the half, Wofford led 38-32.
 
Wofford continued to fire on all cylinders out of the break, rattling off a 9-2 run punctuated by an Annabelle Schultz triple. With Wofford leading 49-36, an and-one play for Furman cut the lead to 10. But the Terriers responded in big-time fashion, as Niyah Lutz drained a three followed by an Alexis Tomlin board and bucket. A Helen Matthews free throw and layup capped the eight-point run. However, Furman showed no quit, going on a nine-point run of its own to pull within nine points. Lilly Hatton scored Wofford's final four points of the frame, but Furman also put home four points themselves to keep pace. The Terriers held a 61-52 lead heading into the final quarter.
 
The Paladins opened the fourth quarter on a mission, dropping six-straight points to dash the lead to three. Reagan Rapert hit a jumper to try to stave off the Furman comeback attempt, but the squads continued to match each other blow-for-blow. The Paladins echoed Rapert's jumper, and though Niyah Lutz drilled a trey, Furman hit one of its own. After a bucket just under the three-minute mark, the Wofford lead stood at just two. Lutz put home a bucket, and a Furman free throw kept the difference at three. Alexis Tomlin and Lilly Hatton each notched a paint score, and though Furman secured a layup under ten seconds, the Terrier defense held firm. Wofford kept the Paladin comeback at bay and secured it first-ever win over its rival in Greenville, 74-69.
 
"It's hard to win on the road," said Garrity of the current road slate. "It's hard to win on the road against really good teams. This Furman team is well-coached. They've got athletes. They've got great players. I think coming in here and getting the win is going to give us a lot of confidence. But now we go to two tough schools to play at the end of this week. And of course, it's always going to take our best effort to win."
 
Wofford remains on the road for two key conference clashes next week, looking to remain perfect against the only teams picked ahead of Wofford in the SoCon preseason polls. First, the Terriers travel to Birmingham, Ala. to face the Samford Bulldogs on Thursday, Jan. 20. Two days later, on Saturday, Jan. 22, Wofford squares off against the Mercer Bears in Macon, Ga.