BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Two days after securing a historic road win at Mercer, the Wofford women's basketball team followed suit Saturday afternoon with a 79-75 win over Samford at the Pete Hanna Center to make more program history. The Terriers improve to 15-6 (5-2 SoCon) while the Bulldogs slip to 11-11 (5-2 SoCon).
 
"They've been together all year long," said head coach Jimmy Garrity of his squad after back-to-back gritty triumphs. "I thought we came out here ready to play. That first quarter was fantastic for us. We shot the ball really well. It's a double-edged sword, though; you may fall in love with the three more than you want to. But I'm just unbelievably proud of this group because the Thursday-Saturday turnaround is tough."
 
This is the first time ever that Wofford has swept the Mercer-Samford road trip. The Terriers are also the first SoCon squad to complete that road sweep since Chattanooga downed the Bears and Bulldogs in back-to-back road games in the 2016-17 season. With the win, the Terriers have now won three in a row over the Bulldogs for the first time in program history.
 
"That's amazing," said fifth-year senior Jackie Carman of the historic Mercer-Samford sweep. "For the history, it's amazing, as well as right now. It's important for the standings. Every single game feels like a real fight out there, so I'm just so happy to see this team stay together through these two games and stay tough."
 
The win is Wofford's seventh road triumph, the most in the Terriers' Division I era and tied for second most in a season in the program's all-time history.
 
The Terriers shot 37.7 percent overall (23-of-61) and 36.4 percent from three (12-of-33) in the contest, with Samford topping both marks at 43.5 percent (27-of-62) and 36.7 percent (11-of-30). But the charity stripe played a massive role as Wofford went 21-of-26 for an 80.8 percent free throw clip while holding the Bulldogs to just 13 foul shot and 10 makes. Of Wofford's 12 total three-pointers, 10 came in the first half.
 
Wofford outrebounded Samford 39-37 and won the second chance points battle 8-4. Though Samford owned the paint, 26-16, Wofford again won the turnover battle. Despite committing eight giveaways in the first half, the Terriers coughed up only two in the second half for 10 total while forcing 12 Bulldog turnovers and claiming the advantage on points off turnovers, 14-9.
 
"Paint touches and taking care of the ball –that's what we've been doing all year long, and we did it again," said Garrity. "And you've especially got to do that on the road, so I'm really proud of their effort."
 
Wofford shared the ball well, amassing 14 assists with four players in double figures. Two of those Terriers tallied at least 20 points, with Jackie Carman leading the way at 23 points. She knocked down five threes, the seventh time in her career she's done so. Carman added five boards as well.
 
"If it's one thing about Wofford, you know that anyone could go off at any time," said Carman of the balanced attack. "We have so much faith in each other that when we make that pass, we know it's going in the bucket. So it's just playing with that confidence and passing the ball. I think that really showed in this game."
 
Rachael Rose joined Carman by scoring 20 points. Rose dished five assists to lead the team and added seven rebounds and two steals. The sophomore was stone cold at the free throw line, converting seven of her eight tries.
 
Lilly Hatton netted 16 points and secured seven boards. She recorded a pair of assists and swatted Wofford's only two blocks. Annabelle Schultz rounds out the double-digit scorers with 12 points. She added six rebounds and four assists alongside a team-leading three steals.
 
Helen Matthews returned to the starting five today after coming off the bench on Thursday, and she again came up big. Matthews rounds out the Wofford scoring with eight points and led the team with eight rebounds. She added two helpers while playing all 40 minutes for the first time in her career.
 
Samford opened the scoring with a jumper just 25 seconds into the contest, but Jackie Carman struck just 16 seconds later with a three to give Wofford a lead it would not relent. Lilly Hatton scored from distance before Carman did so again to give Wofford its first nine points via the three-ball. A Bulldog trey at the 5:04 mark pulled Samford within one point (11-10), but Annabelle Schultz responded with her own triple to spark a 14-point Terrier run. Twelve of the 14 points came by way of the three-pointer, giving Wofford a 15-point lead, its largest of the game, that ultimately gave way to a 28-14 margin after the first frame.
 
Samford cut its deficit to single-digits at the 7:57 mark (30-21), but again Schultz drained from distance. But the Bulldogs chipped away and pulled within three with a three, 38-35, with 3:38 left. But 20 seconds later, it was Carman popping her own trey to keep some distance. The squads would trade some blows before the half, but Helen Matthews got the last laugh by hitting a jumper in the final minute to give Wofford a 45-37 advantage entering the break.
 
Defense prevailed in the third quarter, the lowest-scoring frame of the contest. Samford pulled within five points (47-42) with 7:52 to go, but Wofford scored four points in a row to stay in front. The sides traded blows, with Samford gaining a slight 12-10 scoring edge in the third to pull the score to 55-49 entering the fourth quarter.
 
Looking to close the contest out, Jackie Carman nailed a trey to open the frame. Though Samford responded with a layup, Lilly Hatton immediately hit her own triple in response. A six-point run brought Wofford's lead back up to double-digits (67-55) with 4:40 remaining, Samford scored four points before a Rachael Rose layup to keep pace, but then the Bulldogs embarked on a seven-point run to pull within three (69-66) with 1:28 to go. But time was not on Samford's side, and the Bulldogs fouled Carman, who converted both charity tosses. After a turnover, Rose received an opportunity and converted the first shot, giving Wofford a six-point (72-66) lead with 50 seconds left. Samford could not capitalize on the rare Rose miss, whiffing a layup attempt and fouling Rose again, who converted both shots.
 
The Bulldogs refused to quit, responding with a three and sending Annabelle Schultz to the line. She hit one shot, and Samford then popped a three once more. With 17 seconds left, Wofford led by three points (75-72) and needed to convert at the line. Luckily, it was Rose who received the foul, and in clutch fashion she delivered on both attempts. The Terriers defense then prevented another three-point make, and Schultz iced the game with a pair of free throws. Despite Samford's last-second half-court make, the Terriers staved off the Bulldog comeback to win 79-75.
 
"You get that lead, and all of a sudden they come back, you start looking over your shoulder a little bit," said Garrity. "And that's hard to do, especially on the road. But I'm so proud of these guys to hang on, make plays down the stretch and do a great job from the free throw line, especially that last minute."
 
Wofford now gets a week off before another road contest, beginning the back-half of SoCon play with a match-up at rival Furman. The Terriers and Paladins will meet inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena for the first time ever with tip-off set for 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb 4.