SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford women's basketball team scored just six seconds into the game against UNCW and never looked back en route to a stout 74-49 victory Saturday afternoon in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The Terriers improve to 2-1 on the young season while UNCW falls to 1-1.
The Wofford offense was firing in full force, shooting 44.1 percent and 31.8 percent from three. The Terrier defense held UNCW to a 30.3 percent shooting clip and held the Seahawks without a three-pointer in the game (0-for-19). Wofford also won the rebounding battle, 45-36, while dishing 13 assists to just the seven for UNCW. The Terriers lived inside the paint, tallying 44 paint points with only 30 points scored outside of it.
Four Terriers scored in double-digits, led by a pair with 20-pieces. Junior
Rachael Rose led the way with 21 points alongside a team-leading five assists. She shot 50 percent (8-of-16) with seven rebounds and a steal. Freshman
Maddie Heiss secured her second-straight 20-ball with 20 points exactly on 7-of-14 shooting with a 4-of-8 mark beyond the arc. Heiss added a block, two boards and an assist.
Wofford's two Asheville, North Carolina, natives secured double-doubles in the contest. Freshman
Evangelia Paulk secured 15 rebounds to lead the team while adding 10 points for her first-career double-double in just her third collegiate game. Senior
Annabelle Schultz notched her second-career double-double with 11 points and 10 boards. Each player swiped two steals, and Paulk added a pair of blocks to top the squad.
Sophomore
Indiya Clarke added seven points with three rebounds and a block. Freshman
Vitolia Tuilave scored four points with six boards, and
Ja'Rae Smith rounds out the scoring with a point.
Wofford won the opening tip, and
Evangelia Paulk immediately raced down the court and put home a lay-in, setting the tone for the contest in which Wofford never looked back.
Rachael Rose and
Vitolia Tuilave each scored thereafter to give Wofford the first six points of the game, all in the paint. Wofford's first score outside the paint was the last score of the opening quarter by way of a
Maddie Heiss jumper in the closing seconds. Wofford opened the game with a 16-10 lead.
The squads traded blows early in the second, but an
Indiya Clarke paint score with 7:19 on the clock extended the lead to double-digits (26-16). The Seahawks converted a three-point play to pull the margin back to single-digits, but
Maddie Heiss responded with back-to-back three-pointers to stretch Wofford's advantage up to 13 (32-19). This kick-started a 15-point run for the Terriers that included a
Rachael Rose three and
Indiya Clarke paint score. The run did not end until a Seahawk jumper with 38 seconds left, but an
Annabelle Schultz trey with 15 seconds left would be the punctuation of the first half as Wofford led 44-21. In all, Wofford recorded 28 points in the second quarter, its most points scored in any quarter to this point in the season.
The Wofford defense came out strong in the third, holding UNCW without a field goal until the 4:27 mark of the frame. But
Evangelia Paulk responded shortly thereafter with her own score to make Wofford's lead 52-28. The sides traded some more blows from there before
Rachael Rose tallied a three with 36 seconds left for a 26-point lead. However, a UNCW layup in the final seconds made the score 59-35 entering the final quarter.
The fourth quarter opened with a flurry of scoring exchanges, 15 total points between the teams within two minutes. The first blow was not dealt until the 8:13 mark with a Seahawk score, but
Maddie Heiss quickly responded with a trey. A UNCW layup preceded
Rachael Rose free throws, and then the Seahawks scored back-to-back baskets. But
Annabelle Schultz knocked down a jumper to make the score 66-43 with 6:35 on the clock. The sides would continue to trade blows from there, but the final margin was already settled. Wofford walked away with a 74-49 victory over UNCW.
With back-to-back wins at home, the Terriers will look to sweep the three-game homestand when it concludes with a tilt against North Carolina Central on Tuesday. The match-up is set for 7:00 p.m. inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
