CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Wofford women's basketball team shot with authority in the McKenzie Arena Saturday night, paced by Rachael Rose's 32-point outburst to race to a 72-53 win over the Chattanooga Mocs. Wofford improves to 18-8 (8-4 SoCon) while Chattanooga drops to 16-11 (8-4 SoCon).
 
"I'm really happy and proud of this team," said head coach Jimmy Garrity. "I thought our mindset was terrific. We knew how important this game was, and we were locked in and focused. We had some great individual efforts, but I want to give a shout out to our bench. They were fantastic from start to finish!"
 
The 18^th win of the campaign tops last year's mark of 17 to set a new program record for wins in a season in its Division I era (since 1995-96). The 18 wins are tied for third most overall in program history. The triumph is also Wofford's ninth road win of the season, a new program record.
 
After an off night Thursday, the Terriers bounced back with authority, shooting 51.0 percent (26-of-51) and 46.7 percent from three (7-of-15). The Terrier defense was stout, too, holding Chattanooga to an overall clip of 33.3 percent (17-of-51) and a three-point mark of 34.6 percent (9-of-26). Wofford won the glass, 32-25, and dominated the paint with 32 points inside to just 14 for the Mocs. The Terriers also won the turnover battle, 10-11, and recorded more points off miscues, 18-9.
 
"Defensively, we were really good tonight," said Garrity. "Chattanooga is well-coached, hard to guard and has great players. We did a really good job of keeping them in front and making them take tough contested shots. We also did a good job of keeping them off the offensive boards and rebounding."
 
Rachael Rose was electric in the contest, shooting 12-of-20 with four threes to notch 32 points. She is the first Terrier to score over 30 points in a contest since Chloe Wanink netted 39 on Dec. 17, 2019 against Erskine. Rose's 32 points are a new career high and are eighth most by a Terrier in a game ever. The sophomore added seven boards and led the squad with two assists and two steals. Rose has tallied double-digit scoring in now 13-straight contests.
 
Jackie Carman joined Rose in double figures with 18 points. Her eight boards led the squad and tied her career best.
 
Helen Matthews added eight points with six rebounds, an assist, a block and steal. Annabelle Schultz contributed seven points with three boards and a swipe.
 
Jessie Parish netted three points, and Lilly Hatton and Indiya Clarke each scored two to round out Wofford's scoring. Hatton notched two of Wofford's three blocks.
 
Chattanooga opened the game with a pair of threes and led the whole first quarter, but Wofford kept things close to trail only 20-17 after the first 10 minutes.
 
Jackie Carman opened the second quarter with a jumper, and Rachael Rose converted at the free throw line to give Wofford its first lead, 21-20, at the 8:42 mark. The Mocs retook the lead before Indiya Clarke claimed it right back, sparking an 11-point run for the Terriers. Jessie Parish followed with a three, and then Rose added two of her own to make the margin 32-22 with 3:48 to go. The squads traded some blows, but a crucial foul on a three-point attempt in the final 30 seconds gave Carman an opportunity at the line, of which she knocked down all three to give Wofford a 37-28 halftime advantage.
 
The Terriers kept rolling in the third, and a six-point run extended the lead to 43-30 with 7:27 remaining in the third. Three treys in the final four minutes gave the Terriers a boost, and Wofford entered the fourth with a 58-40 lead after winning the third quarter, 21-12.
 
A Rose steal early in the fourth created another opportunity for Carman to get three, but another foul on the attempt allowed her to convert her three points at the line yet again, extending Wofford's lead over 20 (64-43) at the 7:30 mark. Rose would notch a three-point play and paint score to push her total over 30 on the night, and Chattanooga ultimately had no answer for the Terrier offensive explosion. Wofford rolled to the 72-53 road triumph.
 
"I think this game was a big bounce back for us and a big step forward for our program," said Rose. "After our loss on Thursday, we just really wanted to come out and prove ourselves defensively, and I think we followed the game plan really well, specifically in the second quarter. My teammates shared the ball better than we have all year, and we knocked down shots."
 
The Terriers return home next week for the final two regular-season games. Wofford will welcome Samford to the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium Thursday night at 7:00 p.m., and then the Terriers host Mercer on Saturday for Senior Day. Tip-off against the Bear is set for 2:00 p.m., and it is the first leg of a doubleheader with the men's basketball team.
 
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