Box Score SPARTANBURG, S.C. – A very physical game turned into a defensive struggle that fell in favor of Wofford as the Terriers defeated the Norfolk State women's basketball team, 50-45, Saturday afternoon at Benjamin Johnson Arena.

In a game that saw a lot of physical contact but not many fouls called, the Terriers held the Spartans at bay, never getting a lead of more than 10 but never letting NSU get on top after the opening minute of play. The loss marked the first of the season for NSU (2-1), while Wofford kept its perfect record intact and improved to 3-0.

The Spartans shot just 28.0 percent for the game and was led by sophomore Rae Corbo with 10 points. Wofford fared better, hitting 41.7 percent for the game, although the Spartans converted one more field goal than the Terriers thanks to 25 offensive boards. Wofford sank 8-of-13 from the free throw line, while NSU sank just 1-of-4 attempts.

Junior Recca Trice had nine points, tied her career high with seven steals and also added four assists, while the duo of sophomore Rachel Gordon and senior Whitney Long each added eight points on the afternoon. Gordon also tallied a team-high 10 rebounds for the Spartans, who held a 45-40 advantage on the boards.

Wofford was led by Morgan Wrightson with 14 points, while Daniella Motley added 12 points and eight rebounds. April Moorhouse had a game-high 11 boards with 10 points, and Rachel Brittenham had seven rebounds, five points and five assists.

Both teams made just two 3-pointers on the day, while Wofford led in blocks, 8-4. Gordon had three of those blocks for the Spartans, while Moorhouse and Motley added three apiece.

Tied 4-4 early on after Corbo made a jumper in the lane despite drawing some contact, Wrightson put Wofford up by an 8-4 score that held as the teams went into the second media timeout at 11:55. During that early part of the game, the Terriers did a solid job of keeping NSU's forwards out of the offensive game plan. With NSU down 12-4, back-to-back steals by Corbo led to fastbreak layups by the sophomore just 17 second apart that made it 12-8 and ended an 8-0 run by Wofford.

With less than eight minutes to go in the half, both teams finally found some offense as they began to trade baskets at a much quicker pace. A trey from Brittenham gave the Terriers an 18-12 lead before Corbo grabbed an offensive board and sank the putback to make it 18-14. A pair of baskets by Motley helped the Terrriers extend the lead again to eight at 22-14 at the 4:44 mark.

Gordon got to the hoop for two and then Trice drew a foul on her make and sank the ensuing free throw to cut the deficit to three, 26-23, with 2:21 in the half. Junior Marian Brooks completed the scoring in the half for NSU as the Spartans went into the break down by five, 31-25.

The glass was kind to Long on her jumper in the lane, and then the senior added a long range 3-pointer for NSU's scoring early in the second half to keep NSU to within five, 35-30. The Terriers got their biggest lead of the game, 40-30, before buckets by Gordon and Brooks got the Wofford advantage back down into single digits with a little more than 13 minutes left in the game.

Senior Tyisha Bridges got her own rebound and putback, and Trice drove up the floor and sank one from just outside the free throw line with 9:41 to go as NSU got to within four, 44-40. NSU's offense went cold from there, though, as the Terriers held NSU scoreless over the next six minutes. Long finally ended the drought with 3:43 to go on another trey that cut the deficit to five, 48-43.

Gordon's layup off an inbounds pass cut the deficit to three, 48-45 with slightly more than a minute left. NSU could not convert on its next possessions after the Terriers got an offensive board, and Wofford hit a pair of free throws with 21.6 seconds left to ice the win.

NSU's 25-10 edge in offensive boards allowed the Spartans to convert those into 25 second-chance points, compared to just five points for the Terriers.

NSU will stay in town to face USC Upstate Monday at 7 p.m.