UNCG Women’s Basketball Falls to Wofford in SoCon Semifinal, 68-63
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The No. 4 UNC Greensboro (UNCG) women’s basketball team fell to the top-seeded Wofford Terriers, 68-63, Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in a Southern Conference (SoCon) semifinal game.
The Spartans concluded the season 16-14 overall and 8-6 in the Conference.
This was the fourth time in Head Coach Trina Patterson’s seven seasons at the helm reaching or bypassing the SoCon Semifinal round.
Senior Faith Price(Ragsdale High School) led the charge with a game-high 23 points, while sophomore Isys Grady had a season-high 17 points.
From Coach Patterson
“I thought our team played good defense. Against a really good shooting team, they held them to 35 percent from the field. We shot 46 from the floor. One of the most important stats that we think was the deciding factor was our turnovers. We’ve been a team that’s very careful with the ball. Today it just didn’t fall our way.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Spartans came out shooting with a 6-1 advantage in the first quarter. Wofford fought back with six-straight points of its own to take its only lead of the frame, 7-6. With another run by UNCG, the Spartans led by five, 12-7, and kept the lead through the frame as the Terriers cut the deficit to three with a jumper with six seconds left, 16-13.
The two teams traded three pointers at the start of the second quarter. UNCG’s 11-3 run gave them a nine-point lead, 30-21, with 3:54 remaining. A 10-2 run from the Terriers closed the quarter with the Spartans holding a one-point lead, 32-31.
UNCG went on an 8-2 run for a 40-33 lead, but Wofford outlasted the Spartans in the third frame dominating with 19-straight points, 52-40. Grady closed the quarter with a jumper cutting the deficit to 10, 52-42.
Wofford kept its distance with a double-figure lead until 1:50 left in the game, when Akira Wiggins slipped through the paint for a layup, cutting the deficit to eight, 63-55. This started a 10-5 run for the Spartans, but ultimately the Terriers’ shooting outmatched UNCG’s defense. Wofford sealed the game with a free throw with 14 seconds left, 68-63.
BY THE NUMBERS
UNCG had 34 points in the paint compared to Wofford’s 16.
The Terriers had 28 points off turnovers, while the Spartans had 11.
Wofford saw four with double-figure points.
Antoinette Emma-Nnopu led the game with nine rebounds, chipping in six points.
Grady and Khalis Cain each had eight rebounds.
Wiggins added eight points and nine assists.
UNCG had seven blocks.
From Faith Price
“It’s been quite an experience. At the beginning of the year, it was kind of rough for us. As we went on, we clicked and showed up when it mattered.”
RECORDS
UNCG: 16-13, 8-6 SoCon
Wofford: 22-8, 10-4 SoCon
Courtesy of Denise Archetto
Assistant Athletic Director For Strategic Communications
UNC Greensboro