March 7, 2010

Women's Basketball Game Notes In PDF Format
Live Broadcast
SoCon Tournament Blog

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The second-seeded Samford University women's basketball team will take on the top-seeded Chattanooga Lady Mocs in the Southern Conference Tournament championship game Monday at 4 p.m. (CST) at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Samford enters the game with a record of 22-9 after a 66-53 win over Appalachian State in the tournament semifinals on Sunday. This marks the first time Samford has played in the SoCon title game.

Samford is led in scoring by All-Conference selection Emily London, averaging 15.1 points per game, ranking her third in the SoCon in scoring. London also ranks second in the nation in three-point field goal percentage.

Junior forward Savannah Hill, who was also named All-Conference, leads the team in rebounding (5.5 rpg.) and assists (3.4 apg.). Hill also ranks second on the squad in scoring, averaging 13.0 points per game. Senior Monica Maxwell ranks second on the team in rebounding (4.5 rpg.) and third in scoring (10.3 ppg.).

Chattanooga is currently 23-8. The Lady Mocs defeated Georgia Southern by a score of 60-49 in Sunday's semifinals.

The Lady Mocs are led by SoCon Player of the Year Shanara Hollinquest, averaging 17.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Jenaya Wade-Fray averages 13.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

With Sunday's win over Appalachian State, Samford has secured its first national postseason tournament bid. The winner of Monday's game will go to the NCAA Tournament, while the loser will earn the SoCon's automatic bid to the WNIT.

Samford and Chattanooga are meeting for the 11th time, with Chattanooga holding an 8-2 advantage in the series. The teams split the regular-season series this year, with each team winning at home. On Nov. 30, Samford defeated Chattanooga, 74-52 at the Pete Hanna Center, and Chattanooga defeated Samford, 92-62 on Feb. 27 in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Monday's game will mark Samford's sixth game played at a neutral site this season. The Bulldogs are currently 5-0 in neutral-site games. The last two of the team's neutral-site wins have come in the SoCon Tournament, including Friday's 57-38 win over Elon and Sunday's 66-53 win over Appalachian State.

Entering Monday's championship game, Samford leads the Southern Conference in several statistical categories. The Bulldogs currently lead the league in scoring margin (+6.5 ppg.), free throw percentage (.757), rebounding defense (32.8 rpg.), assist/turnover ratio (1.0) and three-pointers made per game (7.8 pg.).

Monday's game will be televised live on SportSouth. The game can also be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu.