BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – It was a tight battle the whole way inside Pete Hanna Center Thursday night, and the Wofford women's basketball team pushed Samford to the brink with a last-second shot attempt for the win, but it unfortunately was unable to connect as Samford held on for the 64-62 win. The Terriers fall to 15-10 (7-4 SoCon) while the Bulldogs improve to 13-14 (5-7 SoCon).
 
Samford shot better overall in the game, 41.1 percent to the 33.8 percent mark of Wofford, but the Terriers were better from distance with a 34.6 percent clip to the 25.0 percent mark of the Bulldogs. Samford won the glass, 42-38, but Wofford secured two more offensive rebounds, 10-8, for an 11-8 second-chance points edge. The Terrier defense was stout at forcing turnovers with 16 Samford giveaways to just 10 by Wofford with 11 Terrier steals.
 
Rachael Rose led the way as one of three Terriers in double figures. She tallied 25 points for her eighth-straight 20-point affair and 44^th in a row in double-digits. Rose was just short of a triple-double with nine rebounds and seven assists, and she added five of Wofford's 11 steals. The junior also added a block.
 
Maddie Heiss posted 15 points with three triples, and she secured a new career-high six boards. She added an assist and steal. Evangelia Paulk netted 12 points with three threes, and she notched six rebounds. The freshman added a block and a pair of steals.
 
Indiya Clarke tallied six points with six boards and two assists. Ja'Rae Smith added five points, and Vitolia Tuilave scored two. Tuilave added a block and two rebounds. Annabelle Schultz, though scoreless, was a pest defensively with five rebounds and three steals while dishing three assists on the offensive end.
 
Samford opened with the first four points of the game until Maddie Heiss added Wofford's first points with a paint score. The teams would trade buckets until Wofford found a rhythm with a three by Evangelia Paulk, which sparked a 7-2 Terrier run. After a Samford score, Heiss and Paulk went back-to-back from deep to give Wofford a two-point edge, but a Bulldog three to close the quarter had Samford in front 18-17 entering the second.
 
The Bulldogs tallied the first four points of the second quarter before a Rachael Rose three broke the run. Samford added in a couple more baskets before Heiss went inside for a lay-in that kick-started a Wofford run. Rose added a layup before Indiya Clarke did the same, and a Heiss three capped the nine-point swing and the half with Wofford in front 29-26.
 
But Samford came out of the break with back-to-back threes to reclaim the lead. Rose and Vitolia Tuilave would score consecutive twos to push the Terriers back in front by a point, but five-straight Bulldog points flipped the lead once more. Samford found a rhythm from there and ultimately outscored Wofford 16-8 in the third quarter. But Wofford was able to keep it close, as the Samford lead was just five points, 42-37, entering the final frame.
 
The fourth quarter continued to be a hard-fought battle. Samford stretched its lead to as far as 10 points at the 1:57 mark with a pair of free throws, holding a 60-50 advantage. But the Terriers refused to give in as Rose drilled a three, and Paulk put home a free throw with a minute left, slimming the margin to six points (60-54). After the Bulldogs hit one-of-two at the stripe, Heiss went down and drained another three, making it a four-point game (61-57) with 47 seconds to go. Feeling the momentum, the Terriers reclaimed possession by forcing a turnover, and Rose took advantage with a jumper, making the score 61-59 with 23 seconds on the clock. Samford would hit three foul shots before Paulk again connected beyond the arc with six seconds to go. Wofford trailed by just two (64-62) and sent a Bulldog to the line. After she missed both foul shots, Heiss secured the rebound off the second to give Wofford a chance. But the last-second effort could not connect, and the Bulldogs would hang on to win 64-62.
 
The Terriers remain on the road for their final away contest of the season on Saturday, traveling to Macon, Georgia, to face Mercer. Tip-off against the Bears is set for 2:00 p.m. in Hawkins Arena.