Wofford 60, Bluefield College 40
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford Terriers women’s basketball team improved to 4-0 with a 60-40 win Wednesday afternoon in the Benjamin Johnson Arena over Bluefield College and pulled within one win of tying the program’s all-time best start to a season.
The Terriers remain the only team in the Southern Conference without a loss at 4-0. This is also the first time the Terriers have been 4-0 since they started the 2001-02 season at 5-0. The 2001-02 team shares the Wofford school record with the 1992-93 team for best start in Wofford school history.
The two teams traded points over the first ten minutes of play as the game saw five ties and six lead changes until Wofford turned a 17-15 lead into a 26-15 lead with a 9-0 run over an eight minute stretch in the second half. Wofford carried the 11-point lead into the locker rooms at the half, 28-17.
Morgan Wrightson had ten of her 13 points in the opening 20 minutes of play, as she was 3-for-4 from the floor and 2-of-2 from three with two free throws.
The Terriers opened the second half with a 10-5 run to take a 41-22 lead with 15:30 to play. Wofford’s lead hit 21 points, 47-26, at the ten-minute mark and went as high as 25 points, 56-31, with five minutes to play. The Rams closed the gap to 20 points, as the Terriers took the 60-40 win to improve to 4-0 on the season.
April Moorhouse scored 12 of her team-high 14 points in the second half.
Wofford shot 37 percent from the floor, 27 percent from three and 64 percent from the free throw line, while Bluefield was 25 percent overall, eight percent from three-point range, and 47 percent from the charity stripe.
Moorhouse’s 14 points paced the Terriers, as she was 7-for-11 from the floor, while Wrightson followed with her 13 points. Rachel Brittenham chipped in ten points and game-high six assists. Daniella Motley collected eight boards for the Terriers. All nine Terriers scored at least two points in the game for the second time this season.
Wofford takes the Thanksgiving holiday weekend off and returns to action on November 29 at 7 p.m. in the Benjamin Johnson Arena against Southern Virginia at 6 p.m. The game is the final game in their current four-game home stand.
South Carolina 59, College of Charleston 40
COLUMBIA, S.C. - College of Charleston head coach Nancy Wilson returned to the school she coached at for 13 years as the Cougars fell to the South Carolina Gamecocks 59-40 Wednesday at Colonial Life Arena.
Junior Megan Fischer led the Cougars (1-3) with 10 points and sophomore Jillian Brown registered a career-high seven assists.
The Cougars were in control for much of the first half as they led by as much as four at 19-15 with 5:22 remaining in the half. The next three minutes neither team scored and South Carolina (4-1) closed the half with a 7-2 run to lead 22-21.
The Cougars opened the second half on a positive note as freshman Christy Hewatt made a basket and got fouled to give CofC a 23-22 advantage. Their momentum was short lived, however, as the Gamecocks went on a 10-0 run to open up a 32-23 lead.
CofC forced 22 South Carolina turnovers, 10 above the Gamecocks average, but could not keep them off the boards as South Carolina out rebounded the Cougars 46-32 and had 25 second chance points.
Wilson was honored before the game for her service to South Carolina and contribution to the game of basketball. She still has the most coaching wins in South Carolina women's basketball history and took the team to five NCAA tournaments. Wilson's current assistant Tammy Holder was also her assistant at South Carolina.
The Cougars will take a break from basketball for the Thanksgiving holiday, before resuming competition Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. as they host Charleston Southern at TD Arena.