ATHENS, Ga. - It was raining threes inside Stegeman Coliseum Saturday afternoon as the Wofford women's basketball team tied its program record with 15 three-pointers against Georgia, but it was not enough as the Bulldogs would get the win, 76-57. Wofford drops to 7-6 on the season while Georgia improves to 9-4.
 
"Georgia is a really good team and a tough matchup for us," said head coach Jimmy Garrity. "I told our players in the locker room how proud their coaching staff was of them. No matter the opponent we continue to just battle and play together."
 
Wofford's 15 threes are tied with the 15 hit against Warren Wilson in 2018 for the most in a single game by the Terriers, and this marks the most ever for Wofford against a Division I foe. The Terriers were 15-of-38 from distance for a 39.5 percent mark, topping Georgia's 22.7 percent clip of just five made treys. But the Bulldogs shot better overall at a 47.1 percent mark, topping Wofford's 27.4 percent clip.
 
"I was very happy with our three-point shooting," said Garrity. "We knew going into the game that we would have to shoot the three well because Georgia protects the rim with great size and athleticism."
 
Though Georgia won the rebounding battle 52-40, the Terriers put up a fight on the boards and totaled 21 offensive rebounds while matching Georgia's second-chance points output at 18 each. Despite only committing two more turnovers, 12-10, Wofford could not capitalize as well as Georgia did with the Bulldogs tallying 19 points off turnovers to just Wofford's nine. But the Terriers recorded more assists than giveaways with 14 helpers in the game.
 
"I was happy with the way we took care of the ball. Twelve turnovers against a really physical and athletic team is good," said Garrity. "I thought we did a great job of crashing the offensive glass. Twenty-on offensive rebounds is impressive, and Rachael leading the way with seven is outstanding."
 
Rachael Rose led the way for Wofford with her third-straight double-double behind 22 points and 12 rebounds. This is her third consecutive game scoring 20 or more and her 32^nd in a row in double-digits. Rose was 8-of-16 from the field and 6-of-7 from three. Those six triples are a new career high for the junior and the most for a Terrier since Jackie Carman's explosion of eight treys at UNCG in 2022. Rose also dished a team-best six assists and recorded a steal.
 
Senior Annabelle Schultz joined Rose in double figures with 15 points, all coming from beyond the arc. She buried five triples to match her career best while adding two boards and three assists with a steal.
 
Freshman Maddie Heiss was just short of double-digits with nine points, also all from three. She recorded a pair of rebounds and an assist. Freshman Sara Deidda recorded four points with two boards and a steal. Sophomore Indiya Clarke added three points, and freshmen Vitolia Tuilave and Evangelia Paulk each had two to round out the scoring with every Terrier to play posting a bucket. Clarke had five rebounds while Tuilave and Paulk each recorded four.
 
Georgia opened the contest with the first four points, but Annabelle Schultz responded with a three-pointer to pull Wofford within one early. Rachael Rose added her own three shortly thereafter to give the Terriers and edge before back-to-back buckets by the Bulldogs put them back in front 8-6. After trading threes, Georgia hit a jumper before Rose buried another trey to pull Wofford back within a point, 13-12. Georgia converted a layup, and Sara Deidda added a point at the stripe before Rose hit her third triple of the quarter to put the Terriers up 16-15 with just under a minute remaining, and that is where the score stood after the first frame concluded.
 
Wofford kept pushing to open the second, as Annabelle Schultz popped a three before Rachael Rose added a layup for a 21-15 score at the 8:59 mark, forcing a Bulldog timeout. But Georgia came out of the huddle and found a groove, embarking on a 16-point run to eventually claim a 31-21 advantage. The Terriers would break the run with an Evangelia Paulk layup at the 1:32 mark, but a Bulldog three to end the half made the score 34-23 at the break.
 
Annabelle Schultz opened the second half with a three, and despite a Bulldog layup Maddie Heiss converted one of her own the cut the deficit to seven (36-29). But Georgia responded with a three before Rachael Rose hit one of her own, setting a tone for the third quarter. The Terriers would outscore the Bulldogs with 23 total points in the frame, but Georgia was just shy with 21 of its own, seemingly matching Wofford in stride. The Terriers pulled as close as six points with 6:07 on the clock thanks to a Rose trey, but the Bulldogs responded with a jumper inside. Indiya Clarke, Schultz and Rose all hit threes in the final two-and-a-half minutes of the quarter, but the Bulldogs had six points of their own in that span to lead by nine, 55-46, entering the final quarter.
 
With the Terriers on their heels, the Bulldogs opened the fourth quarter with seven-straight points to stretch their lead to 16 (62-46) at the 7:17 mark to effectively put the contest out of reach. But Wofford refused to let up with Annabelle Schultz converting from distance once more. However, another Bulldog run, this time eight points, followed before Rachael Rose put home a layup. Maddie Heiss hit a three at the 2:16 mark, Wofford's 15^th of the game to tie the single-game program record, and Sara Deidda scored the final points of the contest with a layup in the closing seconds, but Georgia claimed the win 76-57.
 
Wofford returns to the court on Monday, January 1, to begin the 2024 slate of action and conclude the non-conference portion of the schedule with a home bout against North Greenville. The New Year's Day match-up against the Crusaders is set to tip-off at 1:00 p.m. inside Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
 
"North Greenville is a very talented and well-coached team. We are going to need our best effort to come away with a win," said Garrity.