Jan. 8, 2011

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford women's basketball team shot just 33.3 percent overall and just 17.2 percent from three-point range as the Bulldogs fell at home, 47-42, to Elon in a Southern Conference contest at the Pete Hanna Center.

"You have to start with Elon and their determination and their defense," Samford head coach Mike Morris said. "They forced us into playing poorly. Obviously, we didn't shoot the ball well, but Elon had a lot to do with that and you have to give them credit."

With the loss, Samford drops to 11-4 overall and 4-2 in Southern Conference play. Elon improves to 8-5 overall and 3-2 in the SoCon.

Samford was led by Savannah Hill with 10 points, and she tied a career high with 14 rebounds. Hill also dished out four assists in the game. Hannah Dawson had 10 points for the Bulldogs. Emily London added nine points for Samford.

For Elon, Ali Ford led all scorers with 15 points. Shon Redmond added nine points and nine rebounds for the Phoenix. Kelsey Harris also had nine points for Elon.

Elon grabbed an early 3-0 lead on a three-pointer by Ford, but back-to-back layups by Samford's London and Hill gave the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead with 17:02 to go in the first half. With Samford leading, 6-5, Elon scored nine of the next 13 points to take a 14-10 lead after a layup by Ford with 11:07 to go in the opening half.

Samford fought back to take a three-point lead at 19-16 with 8:11 to go after a layup by Dawson. Elon then went on an 8-0 run to take a 24-19 lead with 2:21 to go in the first half after a layup by Redmond. A layup by Hill cut the lead to 24-21 heading into halftime.

Samford opened the second half with layups by Dawson and London to take a 25-24 lead with 15:18 to go in the game. Elon, however, went on a 12-0 run to take a 36-25 lead with 9:41 to go after a layup by Redmond.

Elon pushed its lead out to as much as 13 at 45-32 with 3:10 to go in the game. Samford then went on a 10-1 run to cut the lead to four at 46-42 with 45 seconds to go following a layup by Jazmine Martin. Samford, however, could get no closer as the Phoenix came away with the 47-42 win.

As a team, Samford outrebounded Elon, 41-34. Samford committed 14 turnovers in the loss, compared to 12 for Elon.

Samford will return to action on Monday, when the Bulldogs play host to UNC Greensboro. The game is scheduled for a 12 p.m. start from the Pete Hanna Center. The game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu.