ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Behind Rachael Rose's 38-point outburst and a late fourth-quarter surge, the Wofford women's basketball team left it all on the floor and pushed the UNCG Spartans hard Friday afternoon in the Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville, but ultimately the Spartans held on to win 72-62. Wofford falls to 17-13 (8-6 SoCon) while UNCG improves to 21-10 (8-6 SoCon).
 
UNCG owned better shooting marks, 42.4 percent overall and 30.8 percent from three, but Wofford still shot 36.1 percent overall despite a 23.5 percent three-point clip. The Terriers won the turnover margin, committing only five while forcing 11 Spartan giveaways. This led to 12 points off turnovers for the Terriers. But the boards proved pivotal for UNCG, which won the rebounding battle 46-32 with 14 offensive rebounds. This led to 15 second-chance points.
 
"First, give a lot of credit to that UNCG team," said head coach Jimmy Garrity. "Trina (Patterson) does a wonderful job, and they're super talented. They're athletic, big, long and super fast… They rebounded the ball, and we knew that going in, and that was an emphasis that if we want to come out on top we have to limit the second-chance points…
 
"With two minutes on the clock, I think we cut it to four, and I thought we were maybe one possession away from flipping it," added Garrity. "It was close, and unfortunately we didn't really make enough plays down the stretch, and to their credit they made shots from the free throw line. But this season, our players were just impressive. They didn't listen to the outside noise. They believed, and more than anything they were just fun to coach and fun to be around. Our staff is very grateful for who's in that locker room, and I appreciate their effort both on and off the court."
 
Wofford was led by junior Rachael Rose. The guard put forth the best performance of her career in trying to push her squad to the finals, recording a career-high 38 points, two-shy of Wofford's program record of 40. The outburst is her 23^rd 20-ball of the season and third 30-point outing, which stretches her program-record double-digit scoring streak to 49 consecutive contests. The two-time SoCon Player of the Year showed why she was honored as such by also adding five rebounds, four steals and two assists. Those helpers pushed her season total to 163, a new program record for a season, topping Da'Ja Green's mark of 162 from the 2018-19 campaign.
 
Indiya Clarke added nine points to fall just short of double-digits. She secured three rebounds and blocked a shot. Evangelia Paulk contributed six points, three rebounds and a block. Maddie Heiss scored three points with two rebounds.
 
Wofford's seniors left it all on the court in the final outing in the Old Gold and Black. Annabelle Schultz tallied five points with nine rebounds and a steal. Ja'Rae Smith added a point with a rebound and a steal in 12 minutes off the bench.
 
"What they have meant to this program, on and off the court – they do things the right way. They represent our college well," said Garrity of the senior duo. "They're fun to be around and excellent students and great basketball players. And they gave it all they had to our college, and the Spartanburg community and their coaching staff is really proud of them, and they're going to be missed."
 
"I feel like I can't put it into words," said Schultz of her Wofford career. "I have the best coaching staff in the country, the best teammates in the country. Wofford's given me stuff I couldn't have dreamed of."
 
The first quarter was a back-and-forth battle with UNCG securing the first three points before Wofford began to chip away. After trading blows, Rachael Rose got to work and set a tone for what would become a career outing. She hit a three before swiping a steal and immediately putting home a layup for a lead. The lead continued to see-saw as Rose's late bucket pushed the Terriers in front by one. But a Spartan three with 13 seconds left gave UNCG a two-point edge, 21-19, after a quarter.
 
The second quarter was more defensive but was still back-and-forth. UNCG held a six-point lead halfway through the quarter before back-to-back Evangelia Paulk lay-ins shaved the deficit to two points. The teams traded layups, with Indiya Clarke's again making the margin two. UNCG scored once more, but Rose matched it with a layup, and Ja'Rae Smith added a free throw to bring Wofford within a point with a minute left. But a Spartan free throw in the closing seconds kept the margin at two points, 32-30, at halftime.
 
Clarke opened the second half with jumper to tie the game, but UNCG hit a three to pull back in front. Rose put home a two before following with a three to push the Terriers ahead, but the Spartans responded with back-to-back scores to reclaim the lead. This kicked off what became an eight-point run, pushing UNCG ahead by six points. The Terriers tallied some free throws and a Rose bucket, but the Spartans would stretch their lead to 10 points, 53-43, entering the final quarter.
 
UNCG would pull out as far as 15 points ahead with 6:11 on the clock. But the Terriers refused to quit, as Rose traded a score with UNCG before Clarke scored inside. A pair of Annabelle Schultz free throws preceded a Rose steal and score. Ja'Rae Smith later scooped a turnover that fed into a pair of Rose foul shots, capping an eight-point Wofford run that cut the deficit to seven points, 62-55, with 2:40 to go. With a Clarke trey and Rose layup, Wofford pulled as close as four points with 1:22 left, but UNCG secured a layup, and from there the Spartans were able to hit their free throws to keep the Terrier comeback attempt at bay despite Wofford's best efforts late. UNCG held on for the 72-62 win.
 
"I think we try to pride ourselves on not giving up," said Rose of the late comeback push. "For the seniors, we had to leave everything out there for them. That's what they deserve. They've done everything for the program, so it's really hard, and you take it personally that you weren't able to get it done for them. But this team never gave up, and I'm proud of where we ended up."
 
Despite the loss, Wofford has concluded its season with a sixth consecutive .500 or better season, both overall and in SoCon play. The campaign saw many important feats for the Terriers, notably its first ACC triumph with Rose's game-winner over Virginia, alongside numerous honorees in the SoCon year-end awards. Next up is the 2024-25 season, which will tip-off later this year in November.