Jan. 2, 2006

Box Score

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Senior guard Cora Beth Smith hit a jumper with 1.4 seconds left in the game to give the Samford women's basketball team a 59-57 win at preseason OVC favorite Tennessee Tech Monday night.

"I think the character of our team and the togetherness we have as a group really came through tonight," Samford head coach Mike Morris said. "We got down by seven points, and we found a way to come back and win a road game against what I consider to be the best team in the league."

Samford (9-2, 4-0 OVC) was led by Alex Munday with 19 points and Chelsee Insell with 10 points. Taryn Towns added nine points for the Bulldogs. With the win, Samford has now won nine of its last 10 games, and the team's 9-2 record is the best start after 11 games in the history of the women's basketball program.

The win was Samford's first over Tennessee Tech, and the Bulldogs have now upset the top two teams in the OVC's preseason poll. Samford defeated Southeast Missouri, ranked second in the preseason poll, 91-76, Dec. 18 at Seibert Hall.

For Tennessee Tech (7-4, 3-1 OVC), Emily Christian had 31 points and seven rebounds. Kendall Cavin added nine points for the Golden Eaglettes.

Samford jumped out to an early lead at 7-2 with 16:35 to go in the half. Tennessee Tech answered with a 7-0 run to take a 9-7 lead at the 14:57 mark in the opening half. The Bulldogs fought back to take an 11-9 lead with 13:17 left in the half on a basket by Megan Wilderotter.

With the game tied, 16-16, Samford went on a 10-2 run to take a 26-18 lead with just under four minutes to go on a three-pointer by Munday. The Golden Eaglettes then answered with a 10-2 run of their own to tie the score at 28-28 with 1:20 to go in the half on a three-point play by Emily Christian. The teams headed to halftime tied, 31-31.

Samford led early in the second half, but a 13-3 run by Tennessee Tech gave the Golden Eaglettes a 50-43 lead with 8:04 to go in the game on a jumper by Cara Reed. With Tennessee Tech leading, 53-46, Samford scored the next six points to cut the lead to one at 53-52 with 2:51 to go on a three-point play by Insell. A three-point play by Towns with 44 seconds to go tied the game, setting the stage for Smith's game-winning shot.

Samford will return to action on Thursday, Jan. 5, when the Bulldogs play at Tennessee-Martin at 5:00 p.m.