SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford women's basketball felt a strong push from the Erskine Flying Fleet early on Saturday, but the Terriers utilized a massive 26-point run in the second half to pull away en route to a 78-48 win inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The New Year's Eve triumph lifts Wofford to 10-4 on the season. Division II Erskine remains 2-7 as the contest was an exhibition for the Fleet.
 
"It was good to come out today and do the things we needed to do to secure the win. I give a lot of credit to Erskine showing a lot of fight and toughness," said head coach Jimmy Garrity.
 
The contest was Wofford's final non-conference match-up, and the Terriers finish at 10-4 in non-conference play. The 10 non-conference wins match the most for the Terriers in program history, set with a 10-5 clip in the 2016-17 season. But at 10-4, this squad now owns the best non-conference record in program history by winning percentage. This is also the earliest in a season that Wofford has reached double-digit wins, doing so in the 14^th game and before the calendar flips to a new year.
 
The Terriers conclude non-conference play with a perfect 6-0 record at home. Wofford's home winning streak that dates back to last season has now stretched to eight games in a row, matching the program record set twice before.
 
Wofford shot 50.9 percent (29-of-57) overall and 35.7 percent (10-of-28) from three while holding Erskine to 32.1 percent (17-of-53) and 26.9 percent (7-of-26) in those marks. The Terrier defense was stifling, forcing 29 Fleet turnovers and securing 20 total steals. Wofford netted 34 points off turnovers and 19 via the fast break while holding Erskine to four and one, respectively.
 
 "I thought our defensive intensity in the second half was the difference in the game," said Garrity of the defensive effort. "We were able to force some turnovers and get some easy baskets to give us some breathing room."
 
Three Terriers tallied double-digits, led by Rachael Rose's 18 points. She dished four assists while adding three boards. With five steals, she tied Jackie Carman for the team lead.
 
Those five steals are a new career high for Carman. With 11 points, Carman has now scored in double figures in 15-straight games, tying Chloe Wanink's program record for consecutive double-digit scoring efforts set in the 2018-19 season.
 
Lilly Hatton joined them with 10 points, securing three boards as well. Ja'Rae Smith and Helen Matthews each netted seven points. Matthews added a pair of steals, two boards and a block. Smith led the team with a career-high five assists while adding three steals.
 
Annabelle Schultz and Jessie Parish each scored six points. Schultz swiped three steals and secured three boards, and Parish added four rebounds herself.
 
Sydnee Richetto added five points while Abbey Crawford and Sophie Smith each contributed four. Though Indiya Clarke did not score, she led the team with six boards to tie her career high.
 
Though Erskine scored first, Wofford pulled out to a 13-2 lead by the 3:12 mark in the first. But Erskine cut the lead to 18-10 by the end of the quarter. The Flying Fleet kept fighting, and the score remained close by the halftime break with Wofford up 31-24.
 
Out of the break, Erskine scored seven-straight points to even the contest at 31 with 8:21 remaining. Rachael Rose then put home a jumper to put Wofford back ahead, but Erskine stayed close with the score 37-35 at the 6:53 mark, favoring the Terriers. But Helen Matthews popped a three, sparking by far Wofford's largest scoring run of the season. Erskine remained scoreless over the final 6:53 of the quarter while Wofford raced to a 58-35 lead at the quarter's conclusion.
 
But the run didn't end there. Sophie Smith opened the fourth with a triple, and Abbey Crawford followed with a layup. An Erskine free throw at the 8:10 mark finally snapped the run, which had stretched to 26 points over the span of eight minutes and 47 seconds. The margin had ballooned too much thanks to the Wofford run, and the Terriers were able to race to the 78-48 triumph to conclude the 2022 calendar year.
 
Wofford now sets its sights on Southern Conference play, which opens on Thursday, Jan. 5 when the Terriers host Furman. Tip-off is slated for 6:00 p.m. against the rival Paladins.
 
"Looking at the remaining schedule, we are all conference games from here on out," said Garrity. "I feel really good that our non-conference schedule has prepared us for conference play. We open up SoCon play with a really talented Furman team. We will need to give our best effort to have a chance to win.  "