BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Wofford women's basketball team jumped on the Samford Bulldogs early and never looked back Saturday afternoon as the Terriers dispatched the Bulldogs 84-49 in the Pete Hanna Center. Wofford remains unblemished in conference play at 5-0 while improving to 13-5 overall. Samford drops to 6-15 (1-4 SoCon).
 
The 5-0 SoCon start is the best in program history. This is the second time ever that Wofford has swept the Mercer-Samford road trip (2023) and just the sixth time overall that a SoCon school has done so. At seven wins in a row, the Terriers have tied their longest winning streak in their Division I era.
 
"I'm really proud of this team," said head coach Jimmy Garrity. "We talked a lot about our defense traveling on the road with us. I thought we were just outstanding on both sides of the ball."
 
The Wofford offense shot a blistering 54.8 percent (34-of-62) and knocked down half of its 24 three-point attempts. Stifling on defense, the Terriers held the Bulldogs to a 26.7 percent clip (16-of-60) and to just 5-of-26 beyond the arc. Wofford's 84 points are the most scored in a conference game since posting 84 at Chattanooga on February 26, 2022.
 
"That's so special, because I always see my teammates in the gym," said Queen Ikhiuwu of the shooting efficiency. "We're always working hard, and for it to pay off and show in the game is so impressive. I'm really proud of us."
 
Wofford's rebounding prowess continued to shine with the Terriers winning the glass 46-28 with 10 offensive rebounds. This is the eighth-straight contest with 40-plus boards for the Terriers and the ninth in a row with double-digit offensive rebounds. The Terriers doubled up the Bulldogs on defensive rebounds, 36-18. Wofford owned the paint with 34 points inside to just the 18 for the Bulldogs.
 
"It's just effort," said Evangelia Paulk of the rebounding success. "We all go in with a mindset that we have to get rebounds because that's key to success, and we want to win."
 
Five Terriers reached double figures with Evangelia Paulk leading the way at 19 points. Always open, she was 7-of-11 from the floor with four made triples. She led the way on the glass as well with 12 boards, her fourth double-digit rebounding affair of the last five games. The double-double is her fourth of the season and the ninth of her career, moving the sophomore into a tie for sixth on Wofford's all-time double-double leaderboard. Displaying versatility, Paulk added four assists and three steals for her seventh multi-steal outing in the last eight games.
 
Molly Masingale was right on Paulk's heels with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and she was 3-of-4 from distance. Masingale added five boards and two helpers. Helen Matthews posted 15 points with five boards and three assists, and Maddie Heiss recorded 11 points with a season-high three made treys. Heiss added three rebounds and three assists. Queen Ikhiuwu rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10 points, adding in three boards.
 
Mia Flor had a balanced effort with six points and rebounds. Libby Privett almost matched her with five points and rebounds.
 
"It meant a lot," said Huntsville, Alabama, native Privett on her first game in her home state. "I just came into this game feeling very grateful. I've been on this trip for a few years now and haven't gotten to play, so it was just a really cool opportunity to have all my family and friends who have seen me go through this journey here. To come out here and do what I've worked so hard to do is awesome."
 
Wofford wasted no time getting on the board, winning the opening tip and burying a three off the hand of Helen Matthews just 13 seconds in. Samford responded quickly with a paint score, but Evangelia Paulk went inside herself, and Molly Masingale knocked down a trey of her own. This sparked a 10-point run for an early 13-2 advantage. After Samford free throws, Masingale connected beyond the arc once more, but the Bulldogs mimicked in response. They pulled within six, but back-to-back buckets from Masingale and Paulk kept some distance. Samford closed the quarter on a four-point run, though, making the margin 20-14 after 10 minutes.
 
A Bulldog three to open the second pulled Samford within three points, but Matthews put home a layup for some breathing room. Maddie Heiss and Masingale then connected on back-to-back triples, and the Wofford lead stood at 11 points. Samford would cut it back to single-digits a couple more times, but the Terriers had a response each time. Samford pulled within nine with about a minute left, but Matthews struck quickly inside. In the closing seconds, Samford scored once more, but again Matthews struck, this time at the buzzer, to send Wofford to the locker room ahead 40-29.
 
Though Samford scored first out of the break, Heiss hit from distance, and the margin remained in double-digits the rest of the way. After a Samford three later, Mia Flor connected on a lay-in, sparking a 10-point Wofford run that featured treys from Heiss and Paulk. Another Paulk triple with 4:32 on the clock pushed the Terrier lead to 20 (58-38), and she immediately followed on the defensive end with a steal and easy score. Near the end of the quarter, Libby Privett sank a three, and Paulk added another before Queen Ikhiuwu scored inside to create a 69-41 lead entering the final quarter.
 
Ikhiuwu opened the fourth with authority, notching an and-one play to cap what overall was a 12-point Terrier run. Samford notched its final points with 3:52 remaining, and the Terrier defense held firm from there. Ikhiuwu and Privett scored from there to close out a triumphant 84-49 Wofford win.
 
The Terriers return home next week beginning on Thursday, January 30, with Chattanooga coming to town. Tip-off against the Mocs is set for 7:00 p.m. in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Two days later on February 1, Wofford will host ETSU at 2:00 p.m. Both contests can be streamed on ESPN+.