SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford women's basketball kept up its stifling defense with a 66-53 victory over Western Carolina Saturday afternoon inside Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The Terriers improve to 11-5 with the win and 3-0 to open SoCon play. The Catamounts fall to 11-8 and 1-3 in league play.
 
The result marks the 200^th win in the illustrious career of head coach Jimmy Garrity. The total spans over his 12-year career between Anderson University and Wofford College.
 
"You've got to have good players to do that," said Garrity of his milestone. "The assistant coaches, everybody takes part in that. But Western is a really good team… They're tough; they're physical. I thought it was going to come down to the tougher team and rebounding, and down the stretch we made enough plays to hang on."
 
Wofford opens conference action 3-0 for the first time since the 2021-22 campaign. The victory is the 10^th in a row at home for the Terriers, matching the program's longest home winning streak.
 
The Terriers shot 41.5 percent (22-of-53) on the afternoon with six made threes while holding WCU to a 33.9 percent clip (19-of-56) with just two made triples. Wofford again won the glass, 44-25, with 11 offensive boards. Wofford doubled up WCU on assists, 10-5, and posted four blocks.
 
"We talk about it a lot in practice," said Garrity of the efforts on the glass. "Whenever you have No. 3 [Evangelia Paulk] on your team, she goes to get it. Fifteen rebounds today – she was phenomenal. It was a team effort, though. You've got to have good defense. In order to have opportunities to rebound, you've got to have missed shots. They lead the league in scoring, and to hold them to 53 was a really good defensive effort."
 
The Catamounts entered the contest with the league's top scoring offense at 75.1 points per game. However, the steadfast Terrier defense clamped up WCU and held the Catamounts to 53 points, their second-lowest point total of the season and lowest since mustering just 50 against Tennessee on November 26.
 
Helen Matthews paced the Terriers with 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting to lead all scorers. She was steady at the stripe, knocking down 9-of-10 free throws. Matthews was one point short of her career high/ She added seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.
 
"The thing with this team is we have so many weapons," said Matthews of her performance. "Anyone can go off any night, and we trust each other and believe in each other. Tonight was my turn, and it's going to be someone else's next time."
 
Evangelia Paulk posted her third double-double of the campaign (eighth career) with 17 points and a career-high-tying 15 rebounds. Paulk is now only the third player in program history with multiple 15-rebound games, joining Mahagony Williams and Elizabeth Wells.  Paulk added in a steal to mark her eighth consecutive game with a swipe.
 
"It's great, but I give all the credit to my teammates," said Paulk of her game. "They have my back regardless. If I go for a steal, if I go for a rebound, they have my back, and I know that."
 
Libby Privett rounded out a trio of double-digit scorers with a career-high 12 points. She knocked down a pair of threes and added in five boards and two assists. Maddie Heiss contributed seven points, and Molly Masingale notched four points with six boards and four helpers.
 
The Terriers won the opening tip, but the Catamounts got on the board first. Maddie Heiss put home a layup to tie the score, but the teams traded a couple of baskets until Evangelia Paulk dropped in a three to push Wofford in front for a lead it wouldn't relent. Helen Matthews swished a triple for a seven-point advantage, but a WCU three in response kept the margin close. Molly Masingale had a response of her own with a deep ball, and the defenses stepped up for two minutes of scoreless action. The final three minutes saw both squads trading punches, but Wofford got the upper hand with a Matthews score and Libby Privett trey. Despite a Catamount score in the closing seconds, Wofford led 23-13 after a frame of action.
 
WCU opened with the first four points of the second quarter, but a Matthews layup helped Wofford stay at arm's length. After Matthews converted a pair at the stripe with six minutes to go, the defenses clamped up again for three-and-a-half minutes of scoreless action. The teams traded scores before Privett connected on a deep three, and Paulk went inside for a score to push Wofford's lead to 35-23 at the half.
 
The Catamounts came out of the break on a push to pull within eight (39-31) at the 6:30 mark, but Privett hit a jumper to precede a Paulk swipe and score in which she drew the foul. Upon completing the and-one, Wofford led 44-31. Though the Catamounts hit a three, Queen Ikhiuwu put home a jumper. WCU notched six of the final eight points in the quarter, however, clawing back to within eight points at 48-40 entering the final frame.
 
After trading some scores to see WCU pull within seven, Matthews converted a layup before Paulk added a fast break bucket. The Catamounts went inside, but Heiss knocked down a trey to keep the distance at 12 points (56-44). WCU tallied some scores as the team attempted to come back, but the Terriers posted an eight-point run to push the lead to 66-48 with two minutes to go. The lead proved insurmountable from there as WCU scored the final five points, but Wofford secured the 66-53 triumph.
 
Wofford will get its first road tests of the SoCon slate next week with the Mercer-Samford road trip. The Terriers first stop in Macon, Georgia, on Thursday, January 23, for a 7:00 p.m. tip against Mercer. Wofford will then face Samford in Birmingham, Alabama, two days later on Saturday.