CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Wofford women's basketball team put up a fight early in Carmichael Arena against the eighth-ranked UNC Tar Heels, but the home side would pull away as Wofford fell 99-67 Sunday afternoon. The Terriers drop to 7-3 with the loss while the Tar Heels improve to 8-1.
 
Wofford shot 35.9 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from three in the contest. But UNC posted a 50.7 percent clip and went 40.0 percent beyond the arc. The Tar Heels dominated the board battle as well, 57-21. Notably, UNC grabbed 22 offensive rebounds for 25 second chance points. The Terriers played hard and won the turnover battle, forcing 18 takeaways while committing 15. Wofford secured more points off turnovers, 16-14.
 
"Carolina is a top-10 team for a reason," said head coach Jimmy Garrity. "Their length really bothered us… offensive rebounds and put-backs. They haven't been shooting it as well the past couple of games, and today they showed why they're the No. 8 team in the country. They shot it really well, too, from three. And then when they missed they got a lot of those second chance points. That really bothered us.
 
"I thought we did some good things, though. That first half, especially that first quarter – we knew we needed to score the ball well today, and for the most part we did okay… I thought we did a decent job taking caring of the ball. Fifteen turnovers – we'd like that to be 12 or less. But some of those we'd like to have back. Overall, we're taking some positives from this."
 
Two double-digit scorers paced the Wofford offense. Jackie Carman netted 18 points to lead the way, her 11^th-straight game in double figures. She added two assists. Rachael Rose joined her in double-digits with 12 points. Rose also contributed two assists and three boards.
 
Helen Matthews and Ja'Rae Smith tied for the assist lead, dishing three each. Matthews contributed eight points, two boards and a block. Smith recorded five points and led the team with a career-high four steals.
 
Lilly Hatton posted eight points with three boards and a block. Jessie Parish contributed six points and a rebound. Abbey Crawford netted four points and dished an assist.
 
Annabelle Schultz notched three points, two assists, a rebound and three steals. Sophie Smith added three points of her own, rounding out the Wofford scorers. Though scoreless, Sydnee Richetto secured a career-high six boards to lead the team.
 
"We never quit," said Garrity. "I was really happy with our togetherness. We had a tough time stopping their runs. They went on a 12-run and then a 10-run and then a 15-run… If we could've split those up a little bit more, it would've been better."
 
The contest was tight early, as though UNC opened with a three-pointer, Jackie Carman responded with one of her own almost immediately. At the 6:42 mark, Rachael Rose popped a trey to even the game at 8-8. Helen Matthews converted a free throw 40 seconds later to give Wofford a lead, but 18 seconds later UNC pulled back ahead with a triple. Wofford pulled within one point three more times, but a layup in the final minute by the Tar Heels gave them a three-point advantage (24-21) after a quarter.
 
UNC opened the second quarter with a jumper, but Lilly Hatton responded with a three. The sides traded baskets to keep the contest a two-point affair. A Rachael Rose layup at the 6:35 mark brought the Terriers back within three (31-28), but then the Tar Heels hit a groove. A 12-point run extended the UNC lead to 15 (43-28) with 4:15 remaining. Helen Matthews put home a three-pointer to break the run with 3:52 left, but UNC kept its distance held a 51-34 lead entering halftime.
 
Needing to bounce back in the third, Jackie Carman made sure to start her team on a high note with a three-pointer just 17 seconds into the frame after Annabelle Schultz notched a steal. But UNC made sure to nix that momentum with a layup followed by a three. The Teams kept trading blows, and the Tar Heels had an answer for just about each Terrier basket. Jessie Parish hit a three in the waning seconds of the quarter, but UNC had extended its lead to 80-54 entering the final frame.
 
Helen Matthews opened the fourth quarter with a layup, but the Tar Heels then went on a 15-point run that built their lead to 95-56 with 5:21 to go. Abbey Crawford broke the run with a jumper. Wofford secured the final nine points by way of three triples, and the Terriers held UNC scoreless over the final 3:14 to keep the Tar Heels out of triple-digits. But UNC still earned the win, 99-67, over Wofford.
 
The Terriers now set their sights on another road affair this weekend on Saturday, Dec. 17. Wofford travels to Bellarmine for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off in Louisville, Ky.