Nov. 12, 2011

Box Score

CHICAGO, Ill. - The Samford women's basketball team fell at 18th-ranked DePaul, 86-57, Saturday evening in the championship game of the Maggie Dixon Classic at McGrath-Phillips Arena.

Samford committed 25 turnovers in the loss, compared to 16 for DePaul. The Bulldogs shot 40 percent overall and 39.1 percent from three-point range.

"We did a poor job in the first half of handling their pressure," Samford head coach Mike Morris said. "They are ranked No.18 for several reasons. They have great guards, they apply great pressure, they are very skilled and they have a Hall of Fame coach.

"However, I was pleased with how our ladies responded in the second half," Morris said. "We showed a lot of heart and character in the second half. Hopefully we will learn and grow from this experience."

Samford was led by Ruth Ketcham with 14 points and five rebounds. Jazmine Powers and Shelby Campbell scored 10 points each for the Bulldogs. Powers, who also dished out a team-high four assists, was named to the All-Tournament team.

For DePaul, Keisha Hampton scored 20 points, while Anna Martin chipped in 19 for the Blue Demons. Katherine Harry scored 10 points and pulled down eight rebounds for DePaul.

After the team's traded three-pointers to start the game, DePaul went on a 10-0 run to take a 13-3 lead with 14:57 to go in the first half after a pair of free throws by Hampton. Samford fought back to cut the lead to 13-7 with 12:50 left in the opening half after a layup by Jazmine Martin.

DePaul then went on a 13-3 run to push its lead out to 16 points at 26-10 with 9:05 to go in the half following a three-pointer by Megan Rogowski. After Samford cut the lead back to 12 at 26-14, DePaul went on a 13-0 run to increase its lead to 39-14 with 4:11 to go before halftime after a layup by Martin. DePaul took a 46-19 lead into halftime.

In the second half, DePaul pushed its lead out to 33 at 55-22 with 16:54 left after a free throw by Hampton. The Blue Demons led by as much as 39 points in the second half at 79-40 at the 6:51 mark.

Samford fought back to cut the lead to 27 points at 83-56 with 2:48 left after a three-pointer by Kendall Schwantz. The Bulldogs, however, could get no closer as DePaul came away with the 86-57 win.

With the loss, Samford falls to 1-1 on the season. DePaul improves to 2-0.

Samford will return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 16, when the Bulldogs play at Alabama State. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip-off from Montgomery, Ala.