SPARTANBURG, S.C. - UNCG women's basketball dropped their first SoCon matchup of the season, falling to the Wofford Terriers, 61-66, Saturday afternoon. The loss snaps an overall nine-game winning streak for UNCG, which was tied for the seventh-longest in the country. The Spartans got a three-point play from Nadine Soliman (12 points) with 42 seconds left to cut the deficit to four, but the Terriers converted from the foul line to secure the win. 

For the second time this season, Aja Boyd led all Spartans in scoring, netting 18 points (pts), five rebounds and three blocks. For Boyd, it was her 12th double-digit point game this season. Teammate Te'ja Twitty stepped up once again, scoring 12 points, along with eight rebounds.

UNCG (15-5, 4-1), turned up the tempo right out the gate in the first half. Up against the best free-throw shooting team in the conference, the Spartans turned the tide on Wofford (11-10, 4-2), connecting on 12-of-15 attempts from the charity stripe. With six players scoring at least four points for the G in the first half, the ball was moving around enough to keep the Terriers on their heels. 

Fresh off a clutch performance at Furman, Alexus Willey got her opportunity early for UNCG. The Waldorf, Md. native knocked down another pair of threes in the first half, forcing the Terriers to try and keep up the pace. A 17-4 run over six and a half minutes paved the way for the Spartans before the break. With a 40-27 lead at the half, the nation's 13th-ranked scoring defense clamped down on Wofford, holding them to 33.3 percent shooting (5-for-15) from the floor. 

Wofford made adjustments in the second half, cutting into the Spartan lead. A 9-2 run through four minutes in the fourth quarter gave the Terriers their first lead since early in the first half. Cairo Booker (13 points) connected on an open look from deep to give Wofford a 52-50 lead with five minutes remaining in regulation. Out of a timeout, Chloe Wanink (12 points) and Da'Ja Green (22 points) stuck back-to-back threes to extend their lead to six. The Spartans wouldn't go down quietly, pushing the Terriers to the limit in the final minute of play. Twitty got a layup to fall to draw within three, but the comeback fell short.  

RECORD WATCH
With 12 points against the Terriers, Soliman's career total of 1,890 points sits just 18 away from a new program record. 

UP NEXT
The Spartans are back inside Fleming for a SoCon matchup with the Mercer Bears on Thursday, January 30th. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Mercer leads the all-time series, 12-0, dating back to the 1978-79 season. UNCG fell to the Bears, 73-85 last season in Macon, Ga.