SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The Wofford women's basketball team defeated North Greenville University 64-42 on Tuesday morning inside of Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Wofford secured its second home win of the season on Education Day to improve to 3-1 on the season.
Wofford shot 23-59 (37.3%) from the field and 9-23 (39.1%) from the three, while the Trailblazers were 14-59 (23.7%) from the field and 7-26 (26.9%) from beyond the arc. Wofford outrebounded North Greenville, collecting 46 boards in the game compared to NGU's 37. The Terriers won the turnover battle, only committing 14 versus North Greenville's 18.
Three Terriers ended the day in double-digits. Maddie Heiss had 21 points in the contest, along with four rebounds, two assists, and a defensive charge. Heiss shot 50 percent from beyond the arc. The team is 17-4 when Heiss has 15+ points in her career. Angelina Pelayo had 11 points - her first double-digit game of the season - paired with six rebounds, two assists, a pair of steals and a block. Pelayo also went 3-4 from the free throw line. Masingale had 10 points, five assists, and led the team with three steals.
"She [Maddie Heiss] started feeling it early, when she gets that three ball down early, good things usually happen for her," said Ashley Richardson Allen Head Women's Basketball Coach Jimmy Garrity about Heiss's fourth career 20-point performance. "I think she really got us on track as our leader and our captain."
The Terriers had an overall solid first quarter. Courtney Swider went 2-2 from the field and Molly Masingale scored five points in the first quarter. Wofford outshot North Greenville, going 5-12 from the field, 3-4 from the three, and 3-4 from the free throw line compared to NGU, who went 4-18 from the field and 1-9 from outside the arc. Wofford also had a solid defensive effort, with two steals, a block, and 11 defensive rebounds. Wofford ended the first quarter with a pair of free throws from Masingale to give the team a six-point lead.
Wofford continued to apply defensive pressure, forcing NGU to commit two shot clock violations. The Terriers went on an 11-3 run in the first five minutes of the second quarter with three-pointers from Maddie Heiss and Molly Masingale and free throws from Angelina Pelayo highlighting the run. Emmanuelle Broude scored four-straight points with a jumper and a layup later in the quarter. Wofford would take a 31-22 lead into halftime.
Wofford continued to hold the lead against the Trailblazers, with Maddie Heiss scoring 10 points in the third quarter. Heiss made three shots from beyond the arc and a free throw. Wofford went on a 10-0 run in the final 2:42 of the quarter. Abby Eller capped off the run with a pair of free throws. Eller also ended the day with a career-high seven rebounds.
Wofford only allowed eight points in the final quarter and went on a 12-0 run with six different Terriers collecting points in the final minutes. Wofford ended the game with a 22-point win, 64-42.
"In the end, I was really happy with the way we finished the game in the fourth quarter. I thought we took care of the ball much better than the first half," said Garrity. "Proud of our kids to come away with a win and did enough down the stretch to extend that lead."
Up Next
The Terriers head on the road to face Sun Belt opponent Georgia Southern on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 11:00 a.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live updates will be available at woffordterriers.com or @Wofford_WBB on X (formerly Twitter) and @wofford_wbb on Instagram
