WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wofford women's basketball team gave the Wake Forest Demon Deacons a strong fight inside the LJVM Coliseum Monday night, but a late Deacon run proved the decider as Wake Forest won 75-65.
 
Wofford shot the ball well at 38.6 percent on the night (22-of-57), but Wake owned a 44.1 percent clip (30-of-68). However, the Terriers were better from three with a 32.0 percent clip on eight makes to Wake's 27.9 percent mark. Wofford was also stout at the free throw line, missing only one of its 14 shots on the night.
 
The Deacons won the rebounding battle, 43-32. Notably, Wake claimed a 15-8 offensive rebounding advantage, utilizing it for 40 paint points and 16 second-chance points. But the Terriers blocked one more shot, three to Wake's two.
 
"I'm really proud of our effort tonight," said head coach Jimmy Garrity. "We turned the ball over a little bit more than we wanted to early, but in the second quarter we only had one turnover, which was a big part of our cutting it to 10 at halftime. And in the third quarter, we made plays and were really good defensively. And to take a four-point lead in the fourth after being down by 16 was just fantastic."
 
Wofford was led by junior Rachael Rose with 24 points, stretching her program-record double-digit scoring streak to 20 consecutive games. Rose also topped the team with four assists and nine boards, falling just shy of a double-double.
 
Three freshmen made their first starts for their debuts – Maddie Heiss, Evangelia Paulk and Vitolia Tuilave. Heiss and Paulk each played 36 minutes in the contest. Heiss was second on the team in scoring with 17 points, knocking down three three-pointers. She added two boards and two assists. Paulk scored 10 points with six boards and two assists. She also recorded her first-career block. Though scoreless, Tuilave led the team with two steals, adding a pair of rebounds and an assist.
 
"The lights and the event weren't too big for them," said Garrity of the rookie performances. "I thought they just played fantastic. They're really good players, and they were a big part of that comeback and how well we played. And they're just going to continue to get better and better, so I'm really happy for them and our total team effort."
 
Senior Annabelle Schultz marked four Terriers in double figures with her 12 points, all coming from her four threes. She added four boards and a steal. Sophomore Indiya Clarke added two points to round out Wofford's scorers, and she secured five rebounds with a team-leading two blocks.
 
Though Wake Forest scored first with a free throw, Wofford immediately grabbed the lead with a Rachael Rose three-pointer a minute into the game. The Demon Deacons would pull back in front, but Wofford stayed close until an Annabelle Schultz trey pushed the Terriers in front, 11-9, at the 6:31 mark. However, an eight-point Deacon run would flip the score again, and a jumper in the closing seconds of the quarter put Wake ahead 23-15 after the first 10 minutes of play.
 
Wofford settled in after a five-turnover first quarter to commit just one in the second, which aided in the ensuing Terrier comeback attempt. But that push would not come before the Deacons stretched their lead to 18 (38-20) at the 5:31 mark. But back-to-back jumpers from Rachael Rose provided some life for the Terriers, who began to chip away at the Wake lead. A pair of Evangelia Paulk free throws with 1:51 remaining would start off what became a seven-point Wofford run to end the half. Maddie Heiss followed with a triple, and she then swiped a late steal, which she converted into a bucket in the closing seconds of the half to cut the margin to 10, 41-31, at the break.
 
Coming out of the halftime break, Maddie Heiss again took charge with a big three-ball, giving her eight-straight points. This set a tone for the third quarter, a frame that saw Wofford shoot 58.3 percent. However, Wake shot 41.9 percent to keep pace somewhat, and the Deacons held firm over the Terriers for the early portions of the quarter. But a three-pointer from Annabelle Schultz at the 4:54 mark provided a spark, and not long thereafter Heiss and Rachael Rose converted back-to-back scores to cut the deficit to five (52-47) with 3:02 to play. Despite an ensuing Deacon bucket, the Terriers caught fire and ended the quarter on a five-point swing thanks to another Schultz triple and two foul shots by Rose. Entering the final quarter, Wofford trailed by just two, 54-52.
 
Just 30 seconds into the fourth, the Terrier momentum continued when Rachael Rose was fouled on a three-point shot. She converted all three free throws to push Wofford in front, 55-54. Wake followed with a layup, but Rose again scored to flip Wofford back in front, and Maddie Heiss added another three for a four-point lead (60-56) with 7:19 on the clock. Wake would then secure a layup and convert another off a turnover, which sparked what turned into a 17-point run for the Deacons. Wofford scored five of the final seven points in the game, but the damage was already done as Wake Forest survived with a 75-65 win.
 
"Wake is a good team, and down the stretch they made a few more plays than we did. We're disappointed that we lost, but I'm really happy and proud for our players, and I think we should leave this game feeling confident about Wofford women's basketball," said Garrity.
 
The Terriers will look to rebound in their home opener on Thursday, November 9. Wofford plays host to Erskine with tip-off slated for 7:00 p.m. in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.