HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Wofford women's basketball team stumbled out of the gates before giving a late push at the Qubein Center Friday night, but High Point held on for an 80-64 win. Wofford drops to 3-2 with the result, and High Point improves to 3-1.
 
The Panthers shot more efficiently on the night, 43.5 percent to Wofford's 30.0 percent clip. Though the Terriers were 34.4 percent from distance, High Point posted a 40.0 percent three-point percentage. Contributing to the shooting splits is the blocking discrepancy, of which High Point utilized 11 blocks with Wofford only gaining one. However, the Terriers won the rebounding battle, 45-43, including 16 offensive boards to the 10 of the Panthers.
 
Wofford's offense saw three score in double figures, led by Rachael Rose's 22 points. She also dished a team-high eight assists, matching her career best. Rose added eight boards and a pair of steals. Evangelia Paulk added a career-high 17 points with 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Paulk added two steals and two assists. She is the first Wofford freshman with two double-doubles since Lilly Hatton notched a pair in her 2019-20 freshman campaign. Maddie Heiss rounds out the double-digit scorers with 11 points, including three made threes. She added in three boards.
 
Annabelle Schultz posted six points and six boards with a steal, and Vitolia Tuilave added four points with seven rebounds. Indiya Clarke and Ja'Rae Smith each scored a pair to round out Wofford's scorers. Smith added an assist, and Clarke contributed five rebounds with a block.
 
The first quarter started off with neither defense willing to relent the first score, but High Point would strike first with back-to-back threes. After securing some points, Wofford pulled within one at the 2:22 mark thanks to a Maddie Heiss three-pointer, but the Panthers then scored five-straight points. However, Rachael Rose put home a jumper in the final minute to pull Wofford within four, 13-9, after a quarter of action.
 
The squads traded some points early in the second, but High Point went on an eight-point run to make its lead double-digits, 25-11, with 5:11 on the clock. But Evangelia Paulk drained a three-pointer, and despite a High Point layup in response, the Terriers added back-to-back scores from Rachael Rose and Paulk to pull within nine, 27-18, at the 3:39 mark. The teams traded a few more baskets, but Maddie Heiss stamped the second quarter with a three-pointer in the final 30 seconds to try and build some momentum for the Terriers entering the break. Wofford trailed by just 10, 33-23, at halftime.
 
After limited scoring the begin the first half, the teams combined for seven points in the first minute of the second half. Wofford opened it up with an Evangelia Paulk paint score just 10 seconds in, but 18 seconds later High Point responded in kind. Rachael Rose then drilled a trey to bring Wofford within seven, 35-28. Back-to-back Panther threes created a little more breathing room for High Point, but Wofford again began to push back. Paulk scored once more before Annabelle Schultz put home a three at the 5:18 mark to make the score 41-33. The Panthers added a layup, but Maddie Heiss struck from distance again, sparking a three-point battle that saw the Panthers add another before Schultz contributed her second. A Rose steal later led to a Paulk trey, bringing Wofford within six, 48-42, at the 3:04 mark. But High Point would stay step-for-step with Wofford as they traded scores to end the quarter, and the margin remained 10, 55-45, entering the fourth.
 
The squads traded threes to open the fourth with Wofford's coming from Rachael Rose. The Panthers added five-straight points, but Rose responded with four in a row of her own. However, High Point used a seven-point run in response to pull ahead, 70-52, at the 6:24 mark. The Terriers kept fighting, and Rose converted another three before Maddie Heiss added a jumper to pull the margin to 14, 73-59, with 3:29 on the clock. But five-straight High Point points would extend the margin to 19 in the closing minutes, and the gap would prove too wide with not enough time left. The Panthers held on for an 80-64 win.
 
Wofford remains on the road for their next contest, a trip to former SoCon foe Davidson on Tuesday, November 21. The Terriers will look to rebound with tip-off scheduled for 11:00 a.m. as the game will serve as Education Day for the Wildcats.