SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In front of a stellar crowd of a season-high 1,761 Terrier fans in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, the Wofford women's basketball team staved off Mercer's late push to hold on for an 82-76 win to claim the SoCon Regular-Season Championship Saturday afternoon. Wofford improves to 20-8 (10-4 SoCon) while Mercer drops to 12-15 (8-6 SoCon).
 
The conference title is not just the first in program history; it is the first for any women's team sport at Wofford. This is the first 20-win season for the Terriers in their Division I era, and the mark ties for second-most victories all-time in program history behind on the 23 in 1992-93.
 
"I'm crazy excited for our players," said head coach Jimmy Garrity. "It's been a process. But to have the love and support of this college and the administration [has been outstanding.] Our student section was off the charts – unbelievable crowd today. But I am so happy for our players and our former players. Our players mean the world to this program, and to do what we did today was very impressive."
 
Prior to the game, Wofford honored its two seniors as part of Senior Day festivities. Lilly Hatton and Jackie Carman were recognized and then aided in Wofford completing more history.
 
Both teams shot over 40 percent, with Wofford owning a slightly better clip at 45.6 percent (31-of-68) to Mercer's 43.9 percent (29-of-66). The Bears hit nine threes while the Terriers knocked down 10. Mercer claimed a slight edge on the boards, 38-35, but Wofford earned more second chance points, 12-9.
 
Both teams protected the ball, with the Terriers tying their season low for turnovers with six while forcing only seven Bear giveaways. But the paint provided a difference, as Wofford shined inside with 38 points to Mercer's 24.
 
The Terriers were led by four players in double figures, including two over 20. Yet again, Rachael Rose and Jackie Carman tied for the scoring lead with 25 apiece. The fifth-year senior netted her ninth 20-point game of the season with 10 field goals, four of which were three-pointers. The third of those was the 200^th three of her career, making her just the second player in program history with 200 made triples, joining Chloe Wanink.
 
Rose notched her ninth 20-piece of the campaign, scoring double-digits for a 15^th consecutive game to tie for the second-longest such streak in program history. She is one away from tying the record set earlier this season by Carman. Rose added 10 boards and six assists to lead the squad in both marks. Those rebounds give the sophomore her fifth double-double of the season, eighth career.
 
Lilly Hatton joined Carman in double-digits on their special day, netting 10. Hatton added four rebounds and a block. Helen Matthews was the final double-figure scorer, compiling 16 points and a career-high-tying nine boards to just miss a double-double. The junior set a new career high with four blocks.
 
Annabelle Schultz contributed four points and six rebounds, and Jessie Parish added a pair of points to round out Wofford's scoring.
 
The opening of the contest set a tone for the game, which proved to be a heavyweight bout with both sides trading blows. After Mercer held a lead early, Lilly Hatton drilled a three followed by a Rachael Rose lay-in to give the Terriers an edge with 7:32 to go in the first. Mercer would pull close and tie the contest late in the frame, but Helen Matthews knocked down a trey in the final seconds to give Wofford a 24-19 lead after a quarter.
 
A nine-point Mercer run put the Bears back in front at the 3:30 mark in the second, 35-30. Out of a Wofford timeout, Jackie Carman popped a three, and Annabelle Schultz drained one of her own with just over a minute left to pull the Terriers to within two points, 38-36, at the break.
 
Though Mercer scored first in the second half, the Terriers found a rhythm. A Rachael Rose and-one sparked a seven-point run to put Wofford ahead 43-40 with 7:32 on the clock. The squads traded blows before back-to-back triples by Helen Matthews and Jackie Carman extended the margin to seven (53-46) with 4:38 remaining. Helen Matthews notched a pair of three-point plays by drawing fouls in the final three minutes, aiding in a 31-point third quarter for Wofford. Those 31 points are the most by the Terriers in any quarter this season, lifting Wofford to a 67-54 lead entering the final frame.
 
Mercer opened with five points in the fourth, but Lilly Hatton broke the run to make the margin 10 (69-59) at the 5:27 mark. However, the Bears found a groove of their own and scored back-to-back threes to tie the contest at 72-72 with 2:22 remaining. Needing a response, Helen Matthews stepped up for her club 27 seconds later by drilling a three-pointer to put Wofford back in front, igniting the already raucous crowd. With the newfound momentum, Rachael Rose converted a pair at the line, and Jackie Carman notched a layup before a Matthews free throw. This wound up as an eight-point run to seal the game, as though Mercer would score a pair of layups, the time was running too thin. With six seconds left, Wofford called a timeout to give its historic senior duo, Jackie Carman and Lilly Hatton, a final curtain call. The Terrier faithful deliverd a well-deserved round of applause as the final seconds ticked off, and when the clock hit zero the fans stormed the court to celebrate the historic championship with their fellow Terriers. Wofford claimed the Southern Conference Regular-Season Title with an 82-76 victory.
 
"They're really good. Mercer is really good from top to bottom, and they made plays," said Garrity of the tight ending. "Give them credit. Our defense was really good down there; they just had better offense. But at the end of the day, we made plays, got some paint touches, got to the free throw line and made enough. I couldn't be happier for our seniors, Jackie and Lilly. That's a great moment for them."
 
The Terriers will take to the court again on Thursday, March 2 in Asheville, N.C. for the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament. The No. 1 seed Wofford will square off against No. 8 seed Western Carolina at 11:00 a.m. at the Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville.