Box Score VIDEO INTERVIEW

2013 SOCON TOURNAMENT BRACKET

BOONE, N.C.—Samford senior guard Jazmine Martin hit a three-pointer from the right corner with three-tenths of a second left to give the Bulldog women's basketball team a thrilling 63-60 win at Appalachian State Monday evening.
 
The win wraps up the regular season for both teams. Samford is 14-15 overall and 11-9 in Southern Conference play. Appalachian State falls to 19-9 overall and 13-7 in league play.
 
The Southern Conference Tournament begins Friday in Asheville, N.C. Samford has earned the No. 6 seed for the tournament, and the Bulldogs will take on No. 11-seeded Wofford Friday at 3 p.m. (CT). For a full bracket, click here: 2013 SoCon Tournament Bracket.
 
“I'm really proud of our team,” Samford head coach Mike Morris said. “I thought we controlled the game, for the most part. I thought we defended well enough, but we let it slip away a little for about three or four possessions, but then Jazmine Martin made a great play at the end.”
 
Samford built an eight-point lead in the second half, but Appalachian State fought back to take a brief lead. With the score tied at 60-60 with 21 seconds to go, Martin hit the game-winner for the Bulldogs.
 
“Our young ladies have a lot of character, and we challenged them a little down the stretch to be tougher, and they really responded to that,” Morris said.
 
Samford was led in scoring by sophomore forward Taylor Reece with 20 points. Freshman guard Krista Stricklin scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Senior forward Hannah Dawson had 14 points and eight rebounds.
 
“I thought Krista Stricklin had a great game for us,” Morris said. “She has struggled a little bit shooting, but she's kept her head up and kept playing. This was a great team effort, defensively. This was a great team win, because this is a tough place to play and we hadn't won up here in a couple of years.”
 
Appalachian State was led by Anna Freeman with 26 points and seven rebounds. Maryah Sydnor added 16 points and six rebounds.
 
In the first half, Appalachian State grabbed the early lead, scoring the first five points of the contest. A three-pointer by Stricklin and a layup by Dawson for Samford tied the score at 5-5. Neither team could build more than a three-point lead until, with Samford leading, 13-12, Appalachian State went on a 9-2 run to take a 21-15 lead with 7:50 to go in the first half after a three-point play by Sydnor.
 
Samford fought back to tie the game at 23-23 with 4:44 left in the first half after a basket by Dawson. Appalachian State, however, went on an 8-0 run to take a 31-23 lead with 2:47 left in the half after a basket by Freeman. Samford closed the half with a 10-1 run to take a 33-32 lead into halftime.
 
In the second half, Samford pushed its lead out to eight points at 40-32 with 18:34 to go after a pair of free throws by Dawson. Appalachian State, however, answered with a 10-2 run to tie the score at 42-42 with 14:17 to go after a pair of free throws by Freeman.
 
Appalachian State took the lead for the first time in the second half at 50-49 with 11:43 left after a layup by Kelsey Sharkey. Samford answered with a 7-0 run to take a 56-50 lead with 7:55 to go after two more free throws by Dawson. With Samford leading, 58-52, ASU went on an 8-2 run to tie the score at 60-60 with 21 seconds to go after a layup by Freeman.
 
On its ensuing possession, Samford held the ball for the last shot and Martin hit her first three-pointer of the game with three-tenths of a second to go out of the right corner to give Samford the 63-60 win.
 
The win gives Samford the season sweep of Appalachian State, with both wins coming on last-second shots. On Jan.28, Samford defeated ASU, 66-64 in the Pete Hanna Center, when Stricklin hit a layup as the horn sounded to give the Bulldogs the win.