YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Wofford women's basketball team was locked in a battle with the Youngstown State Penguins inside the Beeghly Center, but the Terriers fell short 81-72 Monday night. The result comes despite three Terriers scoring in double figures and Wofford outscoring YSU 48-44 in the second half. But the first-half deficit proved too much as Wofford's comeback attempts fell short, and the Terriers open the 2022-23 campaign 0-1.
 
Wofford shot at a 33.3 percent clip on the night, but YSU scored at a 45.8 percent mark. However, the Terriers were better from three at 30.0 percent to 23.1 percent, and Wofford knocked down 24 free throws of a possible 28 for an 85.7 percent rate, out-pacing the Penguins' 63.6 percent mark. YSU gained its biggest edge on the glass, outrebounding Wofford 42-34.
 
The contest was truly a battle, with both squads committing over 20 fouls in a physical affair. Wofford was called for 25 while YSU was guilty of 21. This led to a combined 61 free throw attempts by the sides, with the Terriers converting 24 and the Penguins putting home 21.
 
"This was a tough, hard-fought game by both teams," said head coach Jimmy Garrity. "It was a tough first quarter for us, especially shooting the ball. I was really proud of our second-half effort. I thought we did a much better job getting paint touches and sharing the ball."
 
Three Terriers scored in double figures, with Jackie Carman and Rachael Rose tying for the team lead at 19 apiece. Carman knocked down three triples and secured six points at the charity stripe. But it was Rose who shined in her Wofford debut, going a perfect 9-for-9 at the line. On top of her first double-digit scoring effort as a Terrier, Rose paced the squad with six assists and three steals while adding five boards.
 
Though only playing 11 minutes due to early foul troubles, Lilly Hatton made the most of her limited time by scoring 10 points. Helen Matthews was just shy of also reaching double-digits with her nine points.
 
Annabelle Schultz led the rebounding efforts with eight boards. She added two assists, a steal and a pair of points. Sydnee Richetto contributed six points by way of a pair of threes.
 
Freshmen Jessie Parish and Indiya Clarke made their collegiate debuts, each scoring their first-career points. Parish notched five points while adding three rebounds. Clarke secured two points and her first board.
 
The Terriers fell into an early hole with a rough shooting effort in quarter one. Wofford shot just 8.33 percent, making only one field goal. However, the Terriers utilized an 8-for-12 free throw effort to keep pace. The Penguins scored first and held and early 4-0 lead before Rachael Rose earned a trip to the line, cashing in both attempts. Helen Matthews earned Wofford's first score from the field at the 6:30 mark with a layup. But the Penguins led 20-10 after the first quarter.
 
Trying to keep things close, Sydnee Richetto opened the second frame with a three-pointer. But YSU kept rolling and ultimately extended its lead out to as high as 15 points at the 4:04 mark (33-18). But Lilly Hatton worked a three-point play, and Richetto cashed in another triple. Those efforts helped Wofford keep pace before the half, with the Terriers trailing 37-24 at the break.
 
Wofford found some much-needed life out of halftime with Helen Matthews securing the first score and Rachael Rose following suit with an and-one play. An eight-point run punctuated by a Jackie Carman three-ball cut the margin down to two with Wofford trailing 39-37 at the 6:41 mark. Though YSU recovered and extended its lead back out to 11 to end the third quarter at 59-48, Wofford had utilized a 57.1 percent shooting effort in the frame to get into a groove.
 
Looking to complete a comeback, Rachael Rose hit a floater before Jackie Carman earned a three-point play, cutting the margin down to six (59-53). The squads traded some blows with YSU knocking down a three at the 7:40 mark for a nine-point 64-55 advantage. Then Carman hit her own three before Lilly Hatton put home a step-back jumper. A couple of traded blows led into a pair of Terrier trips to the free throw line, cutting the score margin down to two with 5:18 left, but the Penguins hit a three to keep some distance. After some back-and-forth battling, YSU held a five-point lead of 73-68 with 3:09 remaining. Rose then put home a jumper before Matthews scored a fast-break bucket, and all of a sudden Wofford had cut the deficit to one at 73-72 with 1:52 on the clock. However, an untimely trip to the line for the Penguins preceded a couple of missed Terrier shots. With time dwindling, Wofford began to foul, with YSU converting each time in the closing seconds. Despite the hard-fought comeback efforts, Wofford fell short in a tough-break 81-72 defeat.
 
"We cut the lead to one with just under two minutes to play but just couldn't keep them off the free throw line," added Garrity of the efforts in the dramatic closing minutes. "Give them credit for closing out the game. Youngstown State is a really good team that is picked to win the Horizon League. There is both a lot to learn and a lot to build upon from this game."
 
The Terriers return to the Palmetto State for another road test Thursday night, traveling down to Clemson for a clash with the Tigers. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. in Littlejohn Coliseum.