SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford women's basketball team felt a fight from the Western Carolina Catamounts in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium until a big fourth quarter allowed the Terriers to pull away to an 83-62 win Saturday afternoon in the team's annual pink game. With the win, Wofford improves to 17-7 (7-3 SoCon), and Western Carolina drops to 9-17 (2-9).
 
The 17^th win of the season matches the win total from last season, tying for the program's Division I record. It is the fourth-highest win total for a campaign overall in program history. The important triumph came in front of a dedicated crowd of 823, a new season-high attendance.
 
"A shout out to our crowd," said head coach Jimmy Garrity. "Our team came out pregame to look up in the stands and one side is almost full, and it helps. To have our other programs – football was here, volleyball, men's basketball… just great support. What a wonderful game to come to – the pink game. There's no one in that locker room that hasn't been affected by cancer, and just for all the people to come and show their support today means an awful lot to me."
 
Late in the fourth quarter, senior forward Lilly Hatton made some history of her own, recording her 1,000^th career point to become the 18^th player in program history to reach the marker. After also achieving 500 rebounds earlier in the season, she is the 12^th player in program history and just the fifth Terrier in Wofford's D-I era to join both prestigious clubs. She is the second Terrier to enter the 1,000-points club this season after teammate Jackie Carman recorded her milestone points against Bellarmine on Dec.17.
 
"It's super special," said Hatton of her milestone. "I'm super glad I got to do it here at home. I have great teammates, great coaches. My parents were here, so that was really special to make the haul from Indiana. I'm just really excited and feeling really grateful to be a part of this program."
 
"It was awesome," added Garrity. "She's just a great player, an unbelievable student. She's the pure definition of student-athlete. She's involved on campus. She's an unbelievable teammate. She's just been solid throughout her career. We're going to miss her a lot, but I'm so happy she achieved that milestone. Her teammates are extremely excited for her, too."
 
Both teams shot well, with Wofford boasting a 55.9 percent shooting clip (33-of-59). Both the percentage and total field goals are game highs for the Terriers this season. WCU shot at a 48.1 percent mark (25-of-52), but the three-point line was where Wofford thrived. The Terriers knocked down 10 treys at a 43.5 percent rate (10-of-23) while holding the Catamounts to five threes at 29.4 percent (5-of-17).
 
"I think that's great. We're really comfortable in this gym," said Hatton of the offensive success. "Playing at home, you always kind of expect to come out shooting pretty well. But I also think that just reflects the hard work our entire team has put in. I don't think you're going to find many teams that are in the gym more than we are. We're in here in between classes, before weights in the morning, staying after practice getting up shots. This is a group of girls who want to shoot the ball well, so we're putting in the work to do that."
 
Though WCU held the rebounding advantage, 25-22, the Terriers countered by dominating the turnover battle. Wofford committed just seven while forcing WCU to commit twice as many giveaways with 14. This led to the Terriers notching 21 points off turnovers.
 
"That's huge for us. That's been our game all year long to force people into turnovers while we take care of the ball," said sophomore guard Rachael Rose. "We're a defensive team, and we have to keep going with that."
 
Ball movement was a priority for Wofford in the contest, and the Terriers executed perfectly. Three Terriers reached double-digit scoring, and three Terriers owned at least three assists. The team as a whole tallied 17 helpers, topping the 11 of the Catamounts.
 
"We talked about that a lot at halftime that we have to start sharing the ball better," said Rose. "I thought we got a little stagnant in the second quarter, but the way we shared the ball in the second half, specifically the fourth quarter, sets the tone for the rest of the year."
 
Rachael Rose led Wofford's scoring efforts with 19 points, her 11^th-straight game in double figures. The streak is now tied for fifth-longest in program history. Rose also led with five assists and two steals.
 
Jackie Carman totaled 16 points and four boards. Lilly Hatton rounds out the double-digit scorers with 15 points to reach the 1,000 points plateau. She added two boards and dished a career-high four assists alongside swatting Wofford's lone block.
 
Helen Matthews scored nine points to just miss double figures. She added three assists. Indiya Clarke picked up where she left off after Thursday night's quality performance with eight points. Her six rebounds led the team and matched her career best.
 
Annabelle Schultz added five points and two boards, and Abbey Crawford scored four. Sophie Smith netted three points in just a minute-and-a-half of action late. Ja'Rae Smith and Jessie Parish each scored two points to round out Wofford's scoring.
 
Wofford opened the game hot, scoring the first six points. Rachael Rose opened the affair with a three-pointer just 43 seconds in. A seven-point run in the middle of the quarter extended the Terrier lead to 11 (15-4), and Wofford seemed poise to go up big. But WCU then embarked on an eight-point swing that pulled the Catamounts to within three points with just over a minute left. After the squads traded baskets, the Wofford lead stood at just 17-15 after one frame.
 
The Catamounts opened the second quarter with a score to tie the contest, but Rachael Rose put Wofford back in front with a paint score. However, WCU tied the affair twice more over the next two minutes, but each time the Terriers bounced back to prevent a Catamount lead. Helen Matthews' layup at the 6:59 mark nixed the third and final tie, giving Wofford a 23-21 lead that the Terriers would not relent. But the Catamounts did not make it easy, keeping pace and keeping the margin under 10 points the rest of the quarter. A WCU layup in the final minute made Wofford's lead 37-31 entering halftime.
 
Though the Catamounts scored first out of the break, Lilly Hatton went behind the arc to score from distance for Wofford's first points of the half. An Annabelle Schultz three gave Wofford a 10-point lead before WCU scored, and then Rachael Rose went inside for a lay-in to put the margin back in double figures (47-37) with 6:00 on the clock. However, an eight-point Catamount run pulled WCU back within four (49-45) with 3:26 to go. Helen Matthews gave the Terriers a spark with a three at the two-minute mark, kicking off a 7-1 run by Wofford to end the quarter. Indiya Clarke scored the final two baskets for Wofford to make the score 58-49 entering the fourth.
 
Rachael Rose put home a layup prior to Jackie Carman connecting on a three to open the fourth, extending the Wofford lead to double figures once more (63-49). After WCU pulled within 10, Lilly Hatton hit from distance to kick off a nine-point Terrier run than effectively iced the game. Hatton put home a layup off a perfect feed from Rose at the 4:19 mark to punctuate the run, giving Wofford a 72-53 advantage. That layup was the money basket for Hatton, giving her exactly 1,000 points in her illustrious career. The Catamounts were unable to recover from there, and Sophie Smith nailed a three in the final minute to put the exclamation mark on an 83-62 Terrier win.
 
Wofford hits the road next week, traveling first to Johnson City, Tenn. for a match-up with ETSU on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7:00 p.m. The Terriers will then face Chattanooga two days later.