ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The No. 4 seeded Wofford women's basketball team was locked in a tight battle with No. 5 seed Samford Thursday night in the Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville. With a 20-point outing by Helen Matthews and a clutch late shot by Evangelia Paulk, the Terriers earned a 58-56 quarterfinal win to advance in the 2025 Ingles Southern Conference Women's Basketball Championship. The Terriers improve to 17-11 on the season as the Bulldogs conclude their campaign at 12-19.
 
Wofford is advancing to the semifinals for the fifth consecutive season. It is the longest active streak in the conference.
 
The Terriers shot better with a 40.0 percent clip (22-of-55) compared to Samford's 34.5 percent mark (19-of-55). Samford made two more threes, 7-5. The Bulldogs held a 35-33 rebounding edge, but Wofford forced two more turnovers, 14 to just the 12 committed. This led to a 13-10 points off turnovers edge. The Terriers tallied four blocks in the contest while not allowing the Bulldogs to notch a single swat. Samford entered the contest averaging 3.0 blocks per game.
 
"Just when you think you can't be any more impressed by this group of young women, they continue to find a way to impress you in different ways," said associate head coach Mike Merrill. "Credit to our players. No 3 (Evangelia Paulk) is as tough as they come. Being in her hometown and everything that this city has been through – it's cool, and I'm so proud of these girls. We made a promise to Helen [Matthews], and Rachael [Rose], too, that this wasn't going to be your last game. That was a really emotional locker room, and that was a fun deal."
 
After missing the last three games due to injury, fifth-year senior Helen Matthews made her return to the court in emphatic fashion, pacing the team with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting. It is her third 20-point game of the season and the sixth of her career. Matthews added five boards with three assists.
 
Queen Ikhiuwu posted one of the best games of her career, notching 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting while adding six rebounds with two blocks. Though only two Terriers scored in double figures, it was a balanced effort as three more notched seven points to mark five with seven-plus in the game. Molly Masingale added five assists with a steal, and Maddie Heiss recorded three rebounds. Evangelia Paulk rounds out the trio of seven-point scorers with two steals and seven rebounds. She is now three steals away from tying Wofford's single-season record. Paulk put home the final shot with 10 seconds to go that ultimately proved to be the game winner.
 
Samford opened the game with the first score, but Maddie Heiss buried a three and a layup for a quick 5-2 advantage. Samford pushed back with a pair of threes, but Wofford fought back to tie the score at 11-all. After four-straight Samford points, Molly Masingale put home a three, and Helen Matthews scored a layup for another Terrier edge. However, a deep Samford three at the buzzer pushed the Bulldogs ahead 18-16 after the first quarter.
 
With a 6-0 run to open the second quarter, Samford pulled ahead 24-16. Heiss scored to end the run, sparking a six-point Terrier run. After Samford tallied five points, Matthews buried a triple in the final minute of the half to pull Wofford within four points, 29-25, at the break.
 
Samford opened the half with a three and two free throws, but Queen Ikhiuwu put home a layup, and a Matthews steal led to a Masingale trey. After trading free throws, Ikhiuwu converted down low again before Matthews buried a long shot, tying the contest at 37-37. The teams would trade blows several times, including late in the frame when Ikhiuwu converted inside before Samford did the same to pull back level. Matthews closed the quarter with a paint score, pushing the Terriers ahead 45-43 entering the final frame.
 
The Bulldogs tied the game with a quick bucket to open the fourth, but Ikhiuwu continued to dominate down low, and Evangelia Paulk secured an and-one play. After free throws by Samford, back-to-back layups by Matthews and Ikhiuwu pushed Wofford ahead by seven. Samford kept chipping away, though, and pulled even at the 2:33 mark with a layup. With the score tied at 56-56, both defenses began to clamp up. Neither team scored for two minutes and 13 seconds. Samford had the ball late, but an offensive foul with 31 seconds to go flipped possession back to the Terriers. Wofford set up for a potential final shot, and Heiss made a perfect pass to a cutting Paulk, who converted down low with 10 seconds to go. On the other end, the Wofford defense held firm, forcing a missed layup in the closing seconds to hold on and seal the 58-56 victory.
 
"We emphasized their defense," said Paulk of the game-winning play. "They run several different things, threw a lot of different defenses at us. We saw [Emily] Bowman go out, and that cleared the center out for me to cut. Maddie [Heiss] saw me, we connected eyes, and that was it."
 
The Terriers return to action early tomorrow morning, facing No. 1 UNCG at 11:00 a.m. The semifinal matchup will air on ESPN+ and can be heard on the Wofford Digital Network.