SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The Georgia Southern Women’s Basketball team cut a double-digit deficit to only seven points late in the ball game, but Wofford hit free throws down the stretch to take a 78-66 win at Ben Johnson Arena tonight.
Four Lady Eagles scored in double figures, but five Terriers had double-digit efforts, which proved to be the difference in the Southern Conference opener. Krista Tate (Atlanta, Ga.) and Wofford’s Rachel Brittenham both had 17 points for the game-high total.
Playing without injured point guard Jamie Navarro (Naples, Fla.), the Lady Eagles fell behind in the initial minutes of the first half, but battled back to pull within three, 12-9 Wofford. Tate and Samantha Williams (Kingsport, Tenn.) sparked a 14-4 Georgia Southern run with six points each. Meredyth Frye (Fredericksburg, Va.) contributed three points and MiMi DuBose (Jefferson, Ga.) converted two free throws to tie the score at 15 all.
Wofford used a 10-4 run in response, building its lead to six with 7:08 left to play in the half. Georgia Southern went without a field goal for more than three minutes while April Moorhouse accounted for six of the Terriers next 11 points to extend the Wofford lead to 13. Tate scored her 10th point of the half and Frye had a layup in the final minute for the halftime score, 36-27, Wofford.
The two teams traded baskets for the first five minutes of the second period with the Lady Eagles trimming the Terrier lead to four after DuBose hit a three-pointer followed by a quick layup from Samantha Williams. Wofford’s Mahagonay Williams hit a layup after a timeout and Logan Morris threw in a three after a Williams’ block on the other side of the court to help Wofford go up by nine. Layups by DuBose and Tate helped cut the Terrier lead back down to seven, but a three-pointer by Jessica Escorza put Wofford back up by 10 at the 10-minute mark.
Brittenham hit a three-point basket with 4:13 left in the game to give Wofford its largest lead at 14, 68-54, but a 7-0 run by the Lady Eagles dropped the Terrier to single digits. Back-to-back scores, a trey and a layup, by Samantha Williams narrowed the margin to seven, 73-66, with 1:33 left in the game. Georgia Southern sent the Terriers to the line where they missed their first three attempts, but Wofford hit five of its next six free throws to push the final score to 78-66.
Brittenham went 5-7 from behind the arc and had seven assists on the night. Mahagonay Williams had a double-double for Wofford with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Moorhouse barely missed a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds with Jessica Escorza and Logan Morris finishing with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Georgia Southern's Williams scored 10 of her career-best 16 points in the second half. DuBose tied her career-best points with 11 and doubled her previous career best in rebounds with six. Danielle Spencer (Atlanta, Ga.) pulled down seven rebounds, her career best, with Frye tying her career best in points with 11.
The Lady Eagles (1-6, 0-1 SoCon) travel to Chattanooga (2-4, 0-0 SoCon) for a 3:30 p.m. Saturday tipoff. The game at McKenzie Arena will be broadcast by SportSouth.
