GREENSBORO, N.C. – It was a defensive battle inside Fleming Gymnasium Thursday night to begin Southern Conference play, and the Wofford women's basketball team put forth a hard fight against UNCG but ultimately fell, 67-58, to the Spartans. Wofford drops to 8-7 (0-1 SoCon) while UNCG improves to 12-4 (1-0 SoCon).
 
"We had a tough night getting things going," said head coach Jimmy Garrity. "Give UNCG credit for keeping us from making significant runs. I thought we did a really good job battling back in the third quarter to take the lead, but ultimately we couldn't get enough stops and scores in the fourth."
 
The Spartans held the shooting advantage with a 41.1 percent clip and 36.6 percent from three-point range. Wofford was held to 37.3 percent and 27.8 percent from distance. UNCG won the glass, 40-31, but Wofford held its own with nine offensive rebounds for 10 second chance points, only two less than the Spartans' total. The Terriers displayed stout defense of their own, forcing UNCG into 15 turnovers with eight being steals. Wofford converted 15 points from turnovers.
 
Rachael Rose powered the Terriers with 26 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, leading the way in all three marks. In fact, she led all players in the contest in points and rebounds with only UNCG's Ayanna Khalfani matching her in helpers. Rose's double-double is her fifth of the campaign and her 10^th in a Terrier uniform. The junior tallied a trio of triples and was a perfect 9-of-9 at the charity stripe.
 
Annabelle Schultz joined Rose in double figures with 12 points. Schultz was a force on the defensive end, swiping six of Wofford's eight steals in the match-up. After securing seven steals in Wofford's previous outing against the Spartans last season in the SoCon Tournament, Schultz owns 13 total steals in her last two match-ups against UNCG.
 
Vitolia Tuilave and Evangelia Paulk each contributed eight points tonight. Paulk added four rebounds with Tuilave grabbing three while also swatting a block.
 
Maddie Heiss and Indiya Clarke both totaled two points to round out Wofford's scoring. Each added an assist with three rebounds apiece. Ja'Rae Smith also secured three boards and dished a pair of assists.
 
UNCG opened the contest with a three-pointer, but Wofford quickly pulled level when Rachael Rose was fouled on a trey attempt of her own. She converted all three shots are the line, and then her next three-point shot was unabated to push Wofford in front. Vitolia Tuilave converted inside shortly thereafter to cap an eight-point Terrier run. But UNCG would pull back in front 12-10 before a Rose jumper tied the game once more. However, the Spartans claimed the final five points of the frame to lead 17-12 after 10 minutes of action.
 
But Wofford opened the second quarter punching back with back-to-back scores by Evangelia Paulk, pulling the Terriers within a point, 17-16. The second quarter was a defensive slugfest as both teams held one another to single-digits, Wofford with eight points and UNCG with seven. The Spartans hit a jumper with just over two minutes remaining, and it would be their final points before the half. Rachael Rose went to the free throw line and converted a pair with just over a minute to go, pulling Wofford within four points, 24-20. Indiya Clarke made sure the score remained as such entering the break with a steal on the final UNCG possession before the intermission.
 
The offenses picked up massively in the third quarter with both teams tallying over 20 points in the frame. They traded blows out of the gates to begin the half with a UNCG three making the score 29-22 in its favor. But an Annabelle Schultz scoop and score kicked off an eight-point Terrier run, capped with two Rachael Rose free throws to give Wofford a one-point lead, 30-29, with 6:29 on the clock. Despite an ensuing Spartan trey, Rose converted a jumper before Vitolia Tuilave put home a layup, again pushing Wofford ahead. A Maddie Heiss jumper gave the Terriers a three-point edge before the Spartans pushed back and pulled ahead again with a three at the 2:39 mark for a 41-38 score. After trading scores, Rose hit from distance to level the game at 43-43 with 1:01 to go, but two free throws would give UNCG the lead, 45-43, entering the fourth quarter.
 
The teams traded points to open the final frame before Rachael Rose again converted from three-point range, pushing Wofford in front 48-47. However, UNCG went on a nine-point run in response to reclaim the lead at 56-48 with 4:39 to go. Wofford broke the run with a layup by Evangelia Paulk at the 4:03 mark, but UNCG immediately responded with another run, pulling out to a 13-point lead, 63-50, with 2:50 remaining. The Terriers showed no quit, however, as Annabelle Schultz secured a pair of steal-and-scores, the latter being a three, within a minute. She would add another three with 45 seconds remaining, but the Spartans were able to put up a few more points within that span to stave off the comeback efforts. UNCG ultimately claimed the win, 67-58.
 
Wofford remains on the road with a contest at Western Carolina on Saturday. Tip-off against the Catamounts is set for 2:00 p.m. in the Ramsey Center.
 
"We will face another challenging road trip as we head to Cullowhee, North Carolina, to take on a tough Western Carolina team," said Garrity. "We will need our best effort to come out on top."