Cullowhee, N.C. – Trailing by as many as 16 points in the second half and behind by 12 in the fourth quarter, the Western Carolina women's basketball team mounted a furious comeback attempt on Thursday night behind strong performances from Jada Burton, AC Carter, and Nicole Azar. However, a last-second bucket by the Terriers lifted the visitors to a 70-68 win in Southern Conference action on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.

Jada Burton led all scorers with 22 points, the first 20-point outing of her career against a SoCon opponent, and AC Carter notched her second double-double in four games with 13 points and 11 boards to lead the Catamounts. With two of its top scorers sidelined with foul trouble, Nicole Azar came off the bench for an efficient night, finishing with 12 points – her career-high against an NCAA DI opponent – thanks to a 3-for-4 shooting performance with a pair of 3-pointers and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. She also chipped in two rebounds, an assist, and a steal in 23 minutes of play.  

The Terriers were led by Molly Masingale, who went 4-for-7 from deep in an 18-point outburst. Fifth-year senior Helen Matthews had the biggest shot of the night for Wofford as the wily veteran was able to just outmaneuver excellent defense by freshman Taj Hunter in the final seconds of the night for the go-ahead bucket as part of her 16 points.

Though the night came down to the final shot in the waning seconds of the game, the Terriers used a strong start to both halves to hold double-digit leads for most of the contest. Wofford jumped out to a quick 9-0 sprint to open the first quarter. Zanoria Cruz broke the Wofford run with the first WCU basket of the night with 7:18 to go in the quarter before Masingale responded with a 3-pointer to put the Terriers up 12-2.

After the initial Terrier sprint, the Catamounts reeled in control of the quarter as Carter, Tyja Beans, Chelsea Wooten, and Hunter helped post a 12-6 burst going into the second down just four, 18-14.  

Evangelia Paulk wasted no time in putting Wofford up by double-digits again, though, as the Terriers hit the first six field goals of the second quarter. Cruz and Azar mitigated the damage with two free throws each before Burton notched her first points of the night with five minutes to go before the half, cutting the deficit to 11. Paulk stretched the Wofford lead back out to 16, their largest lead of the night, with a little over a minute in the half before Grace Pack and Hunter combined for four points as the Catamounts went to the break down 37-25. 

Western Carolina's offense began tipping the scales in the third quarter as the home squad outscored the Terriers 16-15 coming out of the break. The three-ball fell for the Catamounts as  Carter, Azar, and Burton all connected on back-to-back-to-back deep shots to trim the Terriers lead to six. Carter then forced a steal before dishing the ball back to Burton for a layup as the Catamounts found themselves within four with 4:40 in the third. However, Wofford responded with a 9-0 run before Azar went 2-for-2 from the line to close out the frame with the Catamounts trailing 52-41.  

WCU's offense fully came alive in the fourth quarter, erupting for 27 points and rallying to tie the game late. Paulk put Wofford up 60-48 with 7:05 to go before the Cats began clawing their way back into the game.

The Catamounts hit back-to-back threes from Burton and Azar to trim the deficit to four before Burton capitalized with a layup off a Zanoria Cruz steal to make it a one-possession game.  Burton forced another quick Terrier turnover on the ensuing inbounds play, taking it to the rim herself to tie it at 62 all.

Cruz later gave WCU the lead on a free throw with 3:15 to play in regulation before the two teams traded baskets down the stretch. A pair of free throws from Libby Privet put the Terriers up 68-65 with 1:30 to go. Burton again gave the Catamounts an answer as she drove through contact for the score and the and-one opportunity. She knocked down the free throw to tie it at 68 as Wofford called their final timeout with 10 seconds to go.

On the game-winning possession, WCU's freshman Taj Hunter denied several opportunities inside the paint for fifth-year senior Helen Matthews, but the veteran managed to get the shot to go with just 1.1 remaining  as Wofford claimed the 70-68 win.  

Catamount Notables: 

• Jada Burton went for 22 points, the second-most in a game in her WCU career. The 20-point outburst was her second of the season (25 vs Presbyterian – 11/22/25);
• AC Carter recorded her fifth double-double of the season and her second in her last four games. She has also finished one rebound shy of a double-double three times this season;
• Nicole Azar enjoyed a career performance against an NCAA DI opponent, going for 12 points against the Terriers. Her dozen points are the third-most in a game in her career and only trail the 17 points scored against Southern Wesleyan this year and the 18 scored against the Warriors last season. 
• As a team, the Catamounts shot 46% from 3-point range against Wofford, their best performance from deep against a SoCon opponent this season. They have shot 40+% from deep in two of their last three games. 
• WCU improved significantly on the glass against the Terriers this time out, winning the rebound battle 31-28. The 28 rebounds were a SoCon season low for the Terriers 

Up Next for the Catamounts: 

WCU will honor six Catamount seniors before taking the court against the Furman Paladins to close out the home schedule on Saturday in the front of Catamount hoops doubleheader. Nicole Azar – who graduated last spring; Reagan Trumm, who will graduate this May; and seniors Jada Burton, AC Carter, Zanoria Cruz, and Chelsea Wooten will be honored for their contributions in Cullowhee before the 1 p.m. tip with the Paladins.  

The Catamounts then have the midweek off before returning to road action on Saturday, February 22 as they take on the UNC Greensboro Spartans. The tilt in Greensboro marks the first of a three-game road swing to close out the 2025 regular season.