SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford women's basketball team overcame an 11-point deficit in the third quarter to defeat Western Carolina 71-65 on Thursday evening at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The Terriers used a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter to seal the game.
 
"Defensively, we finally came alive in the fourth quarter," said head coach Jimmy Garrity. "We made enough free throws down the stretch to hang on for the win. Our players didn't panic. Our defense picked it up, and that led to us scoring on the offensive end."
 
The Terriers improve to 8-9 with a 2-1 record in conference play, while Western Carolina falls to 3-14 and 0-3 in SoCon action. Maddie Heiss scored 18 second half points en route to the win.
 
Wofford finished the day shooting 27-of-63 (42.9%) from the field and made two three-pointers. Western Carolina shot 25-of-65 (38.5%) from the field and knocked in seven triples. The Terriers converted on 15-of-21 attempts from the free throw line, including a perfect 7-of-7 from Maddie Heiss. Heiss has now made 43-straight free throws.
 
Wofford gained the edge on the boards, outrebounding Western Carolina 41-40. The Terriers had 11 offensive rebounds, converting them into 14 second chance points. Wofford had 42 points in the paint compared to 26 from the Catamounts.
 
Maddie Heiss led the way with a season-high 20 points, while Queen Ikhiuwu posted 19 points and 11 rebounds for her second career double-double. Gabby Mundy rounded out the three double-digit scorers with 18 points. Ikhiuwu and Mundy led the team with two assists each. Mundy had two steals, and Toni Warren rejected two shots.
 
Queen Ikhiuwu scored the first four points of the game for Wofford, as the team jumped out to a 4-2 lead early on. Western Carolina tied the game at four-all the next possession, but the Terriers scored seven unanswered points to get the lead back to seven points, 11-4. With Wofford leading 13-6, Western Carolina went on a 17-6 run over the final six minutes of action to take a four-point lead. Gabby Mundy got a last-second shot to fall before the buzzer to shorten the deficit to two points, 23-21, at the end of the first quarter. Queen Ikhiuwu totaled nine points in the opening frame.
 
Gabby Mundy tied the game at 23 each with a layup to start the quarter, and Toni Warren gave Wofford a 25-23 lead with a pull-up jumper the next trip down. The teams traded baskets over the next few minutes, until Western Carolina rolled off seven-straight points to end the half. Wofford was held scoreless the final four minutes of the half, as the Terriers trailed 40-31 at the break.
 
Queen Ikhiuwu scored the first basket of the second half, but Western Carolina was able to find an answer on its first offensive possession of the half. A Maddie Heiss bucket plus the foul kickstarted a 7-1 run for Wofford and cut the lead to just 43-40 with 6:36 left in the third quarter. Western Carolina responded with eight unanswered points to get the lead back to double-digits, however. Six-straight points from Maddie Heiss followed by a Gabby Mundy layup at the buzzer brought the Catamount lead to three points, 51-48, at the close of the third quarter. Heiss would finish with nine points in the third stanza.
 
Western Carolina opened the final frame with a triple, but Maddie Heiss knocked in one of her own for her 12^th point of the half. With Wofford trailing 58-53 with just over seven minutes of action remaining in the contest, the Terriers would score 14 unanswered points to take a 65-58 lead with three minutes of action left. Western Carolina cut the Wofford lead down to three points with 31 seconds remaining, but the Terriers were able to ice the game with free throws to earn a 71-65 victory.
 
The Terriers will have a quick turnaround, as the team will host defending Southern Conference champions UNCG on Saturday, January 17. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. and can be streamed live on ESPN+.