The Lady terriers started off the spring semester strong with a triumph against the Furman Paladins.
On Saturday, Feb. 4, the women’s basketball team traveled to Greenville, South Carolina, where they saw their victory at “The Well.” Though this was their eighth victory this season, this was their first time playing at The Well.
The team nearly broke a sweat, with a close final score of 69-66. The Terriers progressed to 16-6 (6-2 SoCon) while the Paladins fell to 9-14 (1-7 SoCon).
“We felt like our guards were able to get in the paint and kick, as well as getting an offensive board and put-back or getting fouled … going in with that gameplan, we were able to execute it, so I think we did a great job,” said Jackie Carman ‘23.
Towards the end, the Terriers were down one point, but miraculously came back seven points.
“My favorite part of playing basketball is creating for others, watching my teammates get really excited when they score and just setting them up for easy baskets,” said Rachael Rose ‘25, a guard on the team. “Things didn’t really go our way offensively, but we knew we could control it on the defensive end, so I think we came together and really produced a lot for our team.”
In the final minute, they held a four-point lead, and thanks to the defense, reached their winning score in the remaining 13 seconds.
The game was particularly memorable for the Terriers, as it was head coach Jimmy Garrity’s 100th win at Wofford.
“I’ve just been telling them all year long that they’ve been doing some incredible things, and tonight, Furman played really well, really hard,” Garrity said.
“It got close down the stretch, but we still made enough plays and got enough stops. We just beat a really good team in a tough place to play and a tough environment. These guys continue to impress me, and I’m just really proud of their effort. We have found a way (to keep fighting) and all the credit goes to the players in that locker room; they followed the game plan. We had to work really hard for this win.”
Within Wofford athletics, Garrity is now the most winning coach at the Division 1 level. He is also the second coach in the program’s history to hit 100 wins at Wofford.
“I had no idea until the players told me that afterwards, but those kinds of things aren’t important to me, the players are the important thing and their experience here at Wofford,” Garrity said.
His sentiment for the team was quite evident after the win, as he realized just how fast his time as a coach had gone by.
The game was also significant for Lilly Hatton ‘23, a forward for the team, who grabbed five rebounds and earned four points. Last year, she started all 31 games, with the most starts and games played in a single season.
She recently scored her 1,000 career point, a significant accomplishment in her athletic journey. This is an accomplishment that does not come by mere accident.
“Let’s get it!” yelled Garrity after the game, followed by celebratory jumping and water bottle spraying.
The girls came together and showed fantastic team spirit for the entirety of the game.
The Lady Terriers also became SoCon Regular Season Champions after their home game against Mercer University on Feb. 25.
This was the first championship win for any women’s sport at Wofford, according to the Wofford Women’s Basketball Instagram.
More details to come in the next issue.
