Feb. 20, 2012
Box Score
CULLOWHEE, N.C. -
The Samford women's basketball team was outscored by 17 points in the second half as the Bulldogs squandered a nine-point halftime lead in a 52-44 Southern Conference loss at Western Carolina Monday evening at WCU's Ramsey Center.
"Western did a good job of running their stuff and making shots," Samford head coach Mike Morris said. "They did a good job of defending. They made every shot tough for us"
With the loss, Samford drops to 16-10 overall and 11-6 in Southern Conference play. Western Carolina improves to 12-15 overall and 7-11 in league play.
Samford was led in scoring by senior guard Paige Anderson with 11 points. Senior guard Jazmine Powers scored seven points, while Ruth Ketcham, Taylor Reece and Hannah Dawson added six points each.
For Western Carolina, Makensey Campbell led the way with 10 points. Rena Wakama added nine points for the Catamounts.
Samford led for the majority of the first half, though the Bulldogs were unable to build more than a three-point lead until late in the half. With the score tied, 14-14, Samford scored the next five points to grab a five-point lead at 19-14 with 5:13 to go in the first half after a jumper by Powers.
Western Carolina cut the Samford lead to 19-17 with 4:24 to go in the half after a free throw by Wakama. Samford, however, scored the final seven points of the first half to take a 26-17 lead into halftime.
Western Carolina opened the second half with a 22-9 run to take a 39-35 lead with 8:32 to go in the game after a pair of free throws by Wakama. Western Carolina built its lead to as much as 10 points at 48-38 with 4:02 to go after a three-pointer by Wakama.
Samford fought back to cut the lead to six points at 49-43 with 2:18 to go after a jumper by Reece. Western Carolina built its lead back out to nine points at 52-43 with 43 seconds to go after a pair of free throws by Ali Lane. A late free throw by Powers made the final score 52-44.
As a team, Samford shot just 28.3 percent from the floor and 27.3 percent from three-point range. Western Carolina made 39.5 percent of its shots overall and 62.5 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc.
Samford will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 22, when the Bulldogs play host to Chattanooga. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start from the Pete Hanna Center.
