GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Wofford women's basketball team fought hard Saturday afternoon in Fleming Gymnasium, but the Terriers were unable to complete the comeback and fell 68-60 to the UNCG Spartans. Wofford drops to 15-8 overall (7-3 SoCon). UNCG improves to 19-6 (10-1 SoCon).
 
The Spartans outshot the Terriers on the day, posting a mark of 42.4 percent (25-of-59) while Wofford shot 34.9 percent (22-of-63). Both teams shot 28 percent from distance with Wofford owning one more three, 7-6. The Terriers won the glass, 42-39, and owned four more offensive boards, 16-12. Wofford committed three more turnovers 13-10, leading to 15 UNCG points off turnovers. However, the Terriers ran in transition better, tallying 12 fast break points to the nine of the Spartans.
 
"I thought we played really hard today in a tough environment to play in," said head coach Jimmy Garrity. "UNCG is a really good team. I thought they played to their strengths well and better than we did. Give them credit – they made some crucial plays and big shots down the stretch. But I'm proud of our effort, and we've got to find a way to bounce back because we've got some big games coming up this week."
 
Evangelia Paulk led the way for Wofford with 14 points and 10 rebounds, her sixth double-double of the season and the 11^th of her career. She is now tied for fifth on Wofford's all-time double-doubles leaderboard, matching Jenny Nett's 11. Paulk added four assists and two steals.
 
Two more Terriers reached double figures, as Molly Masingale scored 13 points alongside 10 from Helen Matthews. Masingale narrowly missed out on her own double-double with nine boards, and she dished five helpers. Matthews recorded five rebounds with three assists.
 
Queen Ikhiuwu netted nine points, and Mia Flor added six. They each added a pair of rebounds, and Ikhiuwu swiped two steals.
 
UNCG opened the game hot, recording the first 12 points of the contest. A Queen Ikhiuwu mid-range jumper at the 4:01 mark put Wofford on the board, and the Terrier offense began to gain traction from there. Libby Privett secured an and-one play, and late Helen Matthews free throws helped the Terriers pull within six points. However, a UNCG bucket in the final seconds made the margin 20-12 after a quarter.
 
Mia Flor opened the second frame with a layup, and her steal a couple minutes later led to a Molly Masingale fast break score, trimming the deficit to four. After trading some scores, an Evangelia Paulk bucket brought the margin to two points. However, UNCG rattled off seven-straight points to keep some distance. Wofford kept chipping away, and a Matthews three kept the Terriers within four. After UNCG free throws, Masingale hit from distance, and Ikhiuwu put home a paint bucket. A Flor layup pushed the Terriers in front by a point with 41 seconds to go, but a Spartan score late flipped the margin to 34-33 in UNCG's favor at the break.
 
UNCG tallied the opening five points of the third quarter, but a Paulk triple kept the margin at three. An Ikhiuwu layup followed to bring Wofford within one, and after a UNCG score, Ikhiuwu put home a trey from the top of the key to even the score. The Spartans notched four-straight points, and the squads traded threes. UNCG recorded the final four points of the frame to hold a 52-46 advantage entering the fourth.
 
The Spartans opened the final frame with a three, but Matthews buried her own to nix it. Matthews took charge from there, putting home a layup and then feeding Paulk on a trey to bring the Terriers within a point (55-54). The Spartans tallied four points, but the Terriers did the same with back-to-back buckets by Masingale and Toni Warren. With four minutes to go, the Spartans found a late run to create some separation with eight-straight points. The final minute-and-a-half came down to UNCG free throws, of which the Spartans hit just enough, and Wofford's last-ditch efforts fell just shy in a 68-60 loss.
 
Wofford returns home next week for its final two contests inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium of the season. First, the Terriers host Samford at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 20. The contest will be aired regionally on The CW 62 and streamed on ESPN+. The Terriers will host their senior night two days later against Mercer at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday night as the back end of a men's-women's doubleheader.