Jan. 5, 2009

Box Score

STATESBORO, Ga. - The Samford women's basketball team claimed its fifth-straight Southern Conference win in a 55-46 victory at Georgia Southern Monday night at GSU's Hanner Fieldhouse.

Samford had a strong defensive performance in the win, holding the Lady Eagles to 34.6 percent shooting from the floor. The win, paired with Saturday's win at College of Charleston, gives Samford a sweep of its two-game road swing.

"I was very pleased with the way our team played defensively," Samford head coach Mike Morris said. "Playing well defensively gives you a chance to win games on the road. This was a nice road swing for us and we are looking forward to getting back home."

Samford was led by sophomore forward Savannah Hill with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Junior guard Megan Wilderotter, senior forward Chika Okoli and junior guard Monica Maxwell scored 11 points each for the Bulldogs.

Georgia Southern was led by J'Lisia Ogburn with 17 points. Ashley Melson added eight points for the Lady Eagles.

After falling behind early, 2-0, Samford went on an 11-2 run to take an 11-4 lead with 14:32 to go in the first half after a three-pointer by Hill. Georgia Southern cut the lead to three at 12-9 with 11:39 to go in the half.

Samford when pushed its lead out to seven at 18-11 with 8:13 to go in the half after a three-pointer by Maxwell. With Samford leading, 21-14, Georgia Southern went on a 9-2 run to cut the lead to three at 23-20. A three-pointer by Wilderotter gave Samford a 26-20 lead with 1:09 to go in the half, but a late basket by GSU's Jamie Navarro made the score 26-22 heading into halftime.

Samford opened the second half with a 13-1 run to push its lead to 16 at 39-23 with 12:35 to go after a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Emily London. Samford pushed its lead out to 18 at 47-29 with 8:20 left in the game after a three-pointer by London.

Georgia Southern responded with a 9-0 run to cut the Samford lead to nine at 47-38 with 5:21 left in the game after a three-pointer by Samantha Williams. Samford pushed the lead back out to 12 at 51-39 with 2:34 to go after a layup by senior guard Karmen Smith.

GSU scored the next five points in a row to cut the lead to seven at 51-44 with 2:07 to go in the game. The Lady Eagles could get no closer the rest of the way and Samford came away with the 55-46 win.

With the win, Samford improves to 10-3 overall and 5-1 in Southern Conference play. Georgia Southern drops to 9-6 overall and 4-2 in SoCon play.

Samford will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 10, when the Bulldogs play at Western Carolina. The game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. (CT) start from Cullowhee, N.C.