Game Information
Matchup: Wofford (17-13, 11-3 SoCon) at Middle Tennessee (23-7, 14-4 CUSA)
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET / 8:00 p.m. CT
Location: Murphy Center (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Series: First meeting
 
Wofford is making its first-ever postseason appearance at the Division I level with a WNIT first-round matchup against the Middle Tennessee Lady Raiders at Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. at 9:00 p.m. ET. This is also the first meeting between the teams.
 
The Terriers finished second in the SoCon with an 11-3 league record. The second-place finish and SoCon record are both program bests. The Lady Raiders were 14-4 in Conference USA to finish second place in the east division. Both squads won their first game in their respective conference tournaments before falling in the second-round contests.
 
Middle Tennessee enters the contest with a 23-7 record after losing 80-72 to Louisiana Tech in the CUSA Tournament. The Lady Raiders shoot the ball well, boasting an overall clip of 40.2 percent and a 33.0 percent three-ball mark. However, defense is where they shine the brightest with 9.0 steals per game and 3.8 blocks per game. They hold opponents to just 57.0 PPG while averaging 68.0 PPG on offense. Kseniya Malashka is the team's leading scorer with 13.0 PPG. Courtney Whitson touts the most boards with 7.5 RPG, and Dor Saar is dishing 3.5 APG to lead the Lady Raiders.
 
Wofford enters with a 17-13 overall record, also losing last time out in a five-point heartbreaker to Furman, 64-59, in the SoCon Tournament. Wofford's 17-13 overall record is its best-ever at the DI level in what has become a historic season for the Terriers. Along with the first DI postseason appearance, Wofford boasts other major firsts such as appearing in the Preseason WNIT, road wins at Furman and Chattanooga and season series sweeps of Furman and Samford. Wofford is led by a pair of seniors in two of the major statistical categories, as Jackie Carman tops the squad in scoring (12.4 PPG) and Alexis Tomlin leads in rebounding (7.4 RPG). However, it's freshman Reagan Rapert who has been distributing the ball the best with her 3.6 APG.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Wofford fell in the SoCon semifinals to Furman in a tight 64-59 battle in Asheville, N.C. Wofford shot better overall, 39.1 percent to 38.6 percent. Furman held the edge from distance, though, 36.0 percent to 20.8 percent, and from the free throw line, 68.8 percent to 44.4 percent. The Paladins also won the glass, 47-30. Seventeen of Furman's boards were offensive, creating 19 second chance points. The largest lead in the entire game by either side was five points by Furman, with Wofford's biggest lead being four. Alexis Tomlin paced the Terriers for a second-straight game with 14 points and three steals. Reagan Rapert netted 13 points and dished four assists to top the team. Lilly Hatton posted her second double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-high-tying 12 boards to lead the squad.
 
HISTORIC SENIOR CLASS
The 2022 senior class is 61-54 overall. The 61 wins are the most at the Division I level in program history, and the class is guaranteed to be the first DI class in program history to finish over .500.
 
TOP DOGS
A few Terriers are among SoCon leaders. Reagan Rapert is second in assists with 3.6 APG. Alexis Tomlin is fourth in rebounding with 7.4 RPG. Jackie Carman sits at sixth in scoring with 12.4 PPG. Tomlin (1.0 BPG) and Lilly Hatton (0.9 BPG) are fifth and sixth, respectively, in blocked shots.
 
THREES UP
Wofford is thriving beyond the arc, second in the SoCon shooting 32.0 percent from three. The Terriers lead the league with 8.0 triples per game. Nationally, Wofford is 32^nd with 240 made threes and 33^rd in threes per game. The 240 made threes are a new program record for threes in a season. Jackie Carman is fifth in the league in both threes per game (2.0) and three-point percentage (33.3%). The Terriers don't just shoot the three-ball well, they are also stellar at guarding it. Wofford holds its opponents to a 27.4 percent mark from three, 34^th in the NCAA.
 
CONFERENCE QUEENS
Wofford ranks first in the SoCon in scoring offense (66.5 PPG) and assist/turnover ratio (0.9). The Terriers also rank second in scoring margin (+5.2), three-point percentage (32.0%), free throw percentage (74.6%), turnover margin (+3.1) and three-point defense (27.4%).
 
JACKIE BUCKETS
Senior Jackie Carman has been on fire all season, shooting 39.0 percent, 33.3 percent from three with 12.4 PPG. Carman netted eight three-pointers at UNCG on Feb. 3 earlier in the season to tie the program record for most in a single game, originally set by Chloe Wanink (at Auburn, Nov. 6, 2019). Carman is currently fifth on Wofford's all-time made threes leaderboard with 137, and she is just two shy of Maria Corella with 139 in fourth place.
 
BATTLING THE BOARDS
The Terriers have struggled to outrebound opponents this season, posting a rebounding margin of -1.2, sixth in the league. Their 36.7 RPG ranks fourth in the league. When outrebounded, the Terriers are 7-11. However, when securing more boards, Wofford is 10-2.
 
THE DOCTOR IS IN
Senior Alexis Tomlin has saved her best season for last, fourth in the SoCon with 7.4 RPG and fifth with 1.0 BPG. Both marks lead the team. She has also recorded six double-doubles this season, one of just three players in the league to tally six or more. Tomlin also shines in the classroom, as the future medical school student has won several academic and athletic honors during the campaign. She became the first player in program history to garner SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week honors, having received the nod now three times this season. She has also been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team for District Four. For her performances on the court, Tomlin has earned recognition as a third-team All-SoCon and first-team SoCon All-Tournament selection. Tomlin became the 22^nd member of Wofford's 500 rebound club when she secured her 500^th career board in the second quarter against UNCG on Feb. 21.
 
LUTZ SHOOTS
Senior Niyah Lutz has been shooting quite well in her final campaign, 36.5 percent from the field. She has been pinpoint from three, totaling a clip of 42.9 percent. This all leads to 9.0 PPG, third on the squad. Lutz has been on fire of late, totaling 9.4 PPG over the last nine games. This comes via a 41.0 percent shooting clip and 41.9 percent beyond the arc. In the regular season finale, she tallied her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 boards at Chattanooga.
 
ON POINT (GUARD)
Freshman Reagan Rapert has been a day one starter at point guard, dishing 3.6 APG. Her 1.4 assist/turnover ratio tops the league, and she is also stout defensively, swiping 1.2 steals per game, which is tied for ninth-best in the league. There was an adjustment period for Rapert as she got used to college ball, but she really hit her stride when conference play began. In Wofford's 14 league games, Rapert averaged 10.2 PPG on a 37.1 percent shooting mark, 31.6 percent from three. She dished 4.5 APG, second in the SoCon in league-only affairs.
 
GO (DOUBLE) FIGURE
Junior Lilly Hatton has been grooving recently, as she's posted double figures in seven of the last eight games. The Georgetown, Ind. native is tallying 13.4 PPG during the span, shooting 42.9% from the field. She recorded her second double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-high-tying 12 boards in the SoCon semis against Furman.
 
VOLUN-TERRIERS
The Terriers have some familiarity with the Volunteer State, as two of its league foes, ETSU and Chattanooga, hail from Tennessee. Wofford split the two contests against them in Tenn. but is 4-1 overall against Tenn. teams regardless of game location. Wofford has only played in the central time zone twice this season, splitting those contests as well with a loss at Tulane and a win at Samford. Two Terriers hail from Tenn. – Sydnee Richetto (Mt. Juliet) and Abbey Crawford (Blountville). Further connecting the Terriers and Lady Raiders, Richetto's sister Kaylee plays softball at Middle Tennessee.
 
The first-round contest is scheduled for a 9:00 p.m. ET tip-off. The game will be streamed on Conference USA's streaming service, which allows fans to purchase a 24-hour pass for $6.95 that does not auto-renew.
 
The winner of this game will square off against the winner of the Wake Forest and Akron contest in Winston-Salem, N.C. in round two.