JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Wofford women's basketball team was locked in a battle with ETSU for 40 minutes at Brooks Gym Thursday night, but despite the Terriers' efforts, the Buccaneers held on for the victory, 70-64. Wofford drops to 15-12, 10-3 in the SoCon. ETSU improves to 6-20, 5-8 in league play.
 
Wofford shot 35.0 percent (21-of-60) on the night, 27.8 percent (10-of-36) from three-point range. Both marks were topped by ETSU with 38.3 percent (23-of-60) and 35.5 percent (11-of-31) from distance. The Bucs held a slight advantage on the glass, 42-38, and barely won the turnover battle, committing 11 to Wofford's 13. The contest was tight the whole way, with the largest lead by either team being eight points in ETSU's favor in the first quarter. The game featured three ties and five lead changes, but the Bucs held the lead the majority of the game (30:02), forcing the Terriers to play catch-up.
 
"It's always tough to win on the road," said head coach Jimmy Garrity. "You really just have to give East Tennessee State all the credit. They out-played us, so they deserved to win. I didn't think we took care of the ball like we usually do. We had a couple of – I thought – unforced turnovers that led to baskets for them."
 
Wofford was paced by two double-digit scorers: Lilly Hatton (17) and Reagan Rapert (15). Hatton's 17 points tie her season-high and mark five-straight games the junior has posted double figures. Rapert's 15 give her three-straight games with double-digits, and she led the squad with five assists. The freshman also grabbed five boards.
 
Jackie Carman and Annabelle Schultz each contributed eight points. Niyah Lutz tallied seven points, and Alexis Tomlin posted six. The pair of seniors tied for the rebounding lead with eight apiece. Rounding out the scoring is Sydnee Richetto, who had three points.
 
Lilly Hatton took control early for Wofford, scoring the first eight points for the Terriers via a layup and two three-pointers, but ETSU got off to a hotter start. The Buccaneers hit four threes in the first quarter and led 18-10 after the first frame.
 
Jackie Carman opened the second quarter by drilling a triple, sparking the Terriers. A 13-1 run in the first seven minutes of the second quarter lifted Wofford to a four-point lead with 3:05 remaining. Alex Tomlin's jumper at the 5:19 mark tied the contest, and Reagan Rapert put the Terriers in front with a free throw at the 3:36 mark. Annabelle Schultz capped the run by knocking down a trey to give Wofford that four-point advantage with 3:05 left. The Bucs would fight back and pull within two, but an untimely foul sent Rapert to the line in the closing seconds of the half, where she swished both free shots to put the Terriers back up by four, 29-25 at the half. Wofford outscored ETSU 19-7 in the second quarter.
 
Propelled by two three-pointers in the first two minutes, the Bucs came roaring back in the third quarter to retake the lead, going up by four at the 6:51 mark. Reagan Rapert drained a three-ball of her own with 6:10 left to cut the deficit to just one, but ETSU had an answer, rattling off five-straight points to pull back away. Wofford continued to keep pace, though, and at the 3:22 mark Lilly Hatton drew a foul on a layup and knocked down her foul shot to complete the three-point play. On the ensuing possession, Annabelle Schultz swiped the ball away and was fouled, knocking down her free throws to tie the affair once more, 41 all. ETSU went back ahead, utilizing another three to go up six with 1:25 remaining, but Rapert drilled another trey herself to help Wofford keep pace, cutting ETSU's lead to 49-46 heading into the decisive fourth quarter.
 
Wofford's first two makes of the final frame were triples courtesy of Sydnee Richetto and Annabelle Schultz, which cut the deficit back down to one at 8:15. The Bucs continued to have an answer, immediately hitting a triple of their own to pull back away. The Terriers once again pulled within one thanks to a three-ball, this time by Niyah Lutz with 6:06 left, but once more ETSU countered from beyond the arc to nix Wofford's attempts. ETSU entered the final two minutes up by seven (66-59), but Jackie Carman then took control to keep the Terriers alive. First, the senior put home a paint score, and after a Buccaneer miss, Rapert found Carman for a three-pointer to pull Wofford within two just under a minute to play (0:55). ETSU got a score with 28 seconds left, and the Bucs immediately forced a turnover to halt Wofford's momentum and send the Terriers into foul mode. ETSU would ice the game at the line, staving off the Wofford comeback attempt to hold on for a 70-64 win.
 
"At the end of the day, we've got to learn from this and go on the road to play a tough Chattanooga team on Saturday," added Garrity. "It's going to take our best effort to win."
 
The Terriers remain in Tennessee, traveling to Chattanooga for a meeting with the Mocs at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. It will be the final regular season contest for Wofford before the Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville, N.C. next weekend.