Women’s basketball avoids cancellations amid pandemic
Shortly after dismissal for Thanksgiving break, Wofford women’s basketball sprang into action on Nov. 25, a 65-50 victory over Winthrop in the team’s home opener. The Terriers went on to play their next five games on the road, earning wins against High Point and UNC Asheville before returning home for their next four games against Erskine, Furman, and ETSU back to back, winning all four.
With only one senior in Forward, Jamari McDavid and reigning SoCon Freshman of the Year Lilly Hatton ’23, the Terriers currently hold a record of 7-3 overall and 3-0 in the Southern Conference, but no victories in the win column compare to the Terriers’ ability to play at all in the middle of a pandemic.
“As a team, we’re really just grateful to be playing,” Jimmy Garrity, head women’s basketball coach,said. “There’s a lot of leagues out there that have canceled their seasons, a lot of games that have been canceled. We’ve been fortunate to avoid all that, and hopefully—knock on wood—we can continue to do that,” he said.
The Terriers also welcome back Guard Jackie Carman ’22, who had been sidelined all of last season due to an injury.
“Since I’ve been off my injury, it’s been a blessing to play at all physically,” Carman said. “And then with this pandemic, I’ve cherished every single moment on the court to be with my teammates and it’s really been a blessing and I’ve really taken the time to even appreciate the hard times such as the practice and conditioning,” he said.
Carman, who was voted by her peers to be a team captain along with Forward, Alexis Tomlin ’22, also added that she is very appreciative of the recognition and of the confidence that her coaches and teammates have in her abilities.
Carman is near the top of the team in terms of minutes played per game and, along with several teammates, scores about 8 points per game, a figure that Coach Garrity is very confident in.
“We’ve got a great mix from 13 to 8 [points per game], quite a few players,” Garrity said. “In that regard, hopefully we’re a little bit harder to scout, and different players will step up at different times throughout the year,”
After losing Da’Ja Green ‘20, Chloe Wanink ‘20 and Cairo Booker ‘20 to graduation last year, the team lost roughly 40 points per game between the three players. He now hopes that other players can increase their production to make up for their absence.
Another player who has assumed a greater role for the Terriers is Guard Niyah Lutz ’22, who has stepped into the starting lineup and who has hit multiple timely shots for Wofford late in games against Winthrop and UNC Asheville.
“She can score it at all three levels, and she can score it in different ways, like unconventional ways,” Garrity said. “There’s some shots for Niyah that is a good shot, and for others I’m like, ‘Hey, that’s not a good shot for you.’”
Lutz, along with Hatton and McDavid, is among the team leaders in scoring at roughly 10 points per game, also grabbing 5 rebounds.
Another new face in Wofford starting lineup is Helen Matthews ’24, a 5’10 Point Guard from Kaiapoi, New Zealand who has quickly grown on her teammates and coaches due to her size, playmaking ability and court vision.
“She’s getting better and better,” Garrity said. “She’s got enough pieces around her that we can be successful, [and] that she doesn’t feel like she has to do more than what’s needed. If she can make good decisions and take care of the ball, we’re gonna be pretty good.”
Carman echoed those feelings, adding that Matthews is easy to talk to both on and off the court and that “the things she brings to the game have been different than what Wofford women’s basketball has had in the past, especially within a point guard.”
Matthews currently is among the team leaders in assists per game and contributes about 7 points per game, falling closely in line with the optimal range that Garrity described.
While the Terriers’ goal remains to capture a Southern Conference championship, one of the main priorities is also to stay healthy and, hopefully, to complete the season, a mission that Coach Garrity is incredibly objective about.
“To be real honest with you, we just wanna be able to play,” he said. “You see the cases rising, and to be honest, I think finishing the season is at 50/50 right now. People gotta take care of themselves.”
In the meantime, Wofford women’s basketball continues their season with no cancellations to this point, and the Terriers will be back in action on Jan. 21 in Cullowhee, NC as they take on Western Carolina at 6 P.M.