Box Score HANNAH NICHOLS INTERVIEW

BOX SCORE (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford women's basketball team used a strong second half to pull away from Wofford for a 64-52 Southern Conference win Monday afternoon in the Pete Hanna Center.
 
Samford shot just 31.8 percent in the first half, but came back to hit 56.5 percent of its shots after the break. The Bulldogs made 30 percent of their three-pointers in the first half, but 63.6 percent in the second half. For the game, Samford shot 44.4 percent overall and 47.6 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Samford head coach Mike Morris said his team showed some toughness and resiliency in earning the win over the Terriers.
 
"When Wofford made a couple of runs in the second half to cut it back to five or six, we pushed it right back out to nine or 10," Morris said. "That is a credit to our players. It's a learning process, and I think they are coming around to that. We made 20 field goals tonight on 17 assists, and that is an indication that we are seeing things, offensively."
 
Samford also had a strong game defensively, holding Wofford to just 35.1 percent shooting. The Terriers made just 33.3 percent of their attempts from three-point range. Morris said his team has improved in the last several games on the defensive end of the floor.
 
"I think with a younger team like we have, it is a longer process for them to understand that you have to guard," Morris said. "You have to guard every game, every possession to have an opportunity to win. They are learning that, and it has shown up in the last four or five games that we are starting to understand the value of defense."
 
In the win, Samford was led by freshman guard Hannah Nichols with a career-high 20 points, making 7-of-13 shots from the floor and 6-of-9 from three-point range. Nichols also had five rebounds in the win.
 
"It really wasn't anything I did, I was just there" Nichols said. "My teammates got me open with their drives and I was there to hit the shots, so I give all of the credit to them."
 
Redshirt freshman Lydia McGee had 12 points, five rebounds and a career-high six assists for Samford. Senior Christy Robinson had 10 points and six rebounds, while freshman Kassidy Blevins finished with 10 points and five rebounds.
 
For Wofford, Logan Morris scored 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Ashton Fleming had eight points and eight rebounds, while Jordan Frazier added eight points for the Terriers.
 
In the first half, Wofford grabbed an early three-point lead at 5-2 with 16:18 to go in the opening half after a free throw by Morris. With Wofford leading, 9-6, Samford went on a 9-2 run to take a 15-11 lead with 4:08 to go in the first half after a layup by McGee.
 
Samford built its lead out to as much as eight points at 25-17 with 53 seconds left in the first half following a three-pointer by Nichols. Samford took a 25-19 lead heading into halftime.
 
Samford pushed its lead out to 13 points quickly in the second half at 32-19 with 17:10 to go in the game after a free throw by Robinson. Wofford fought back to cut the lead to five points at 37-32 with 13:15 left in the game after a jumper by Morris. Samford answered with a 9-2 run to make the score 46-34 with 8:31 left following a three-pointer by McGee.
 
The Bulldogs led by as much as 14 points in the second half at 51-37, 56-42 and 59-45. The Terriers closed to within nine points at 59-50 and 61-52, but Wofford could get no closer. The Bulldogs came away with a 12-point win, 64-52.
 
With the win, Samford improves to 5-14 overall and 3-5 in Southern Conference play. Wofford drops to 3-14 overall and 1-6 in league play.
 
As a team, Samford out-rebounded Wofford, 37-33. The Bulldogs dished out 17 assists, compared to 10 for the Terriers. Wofford committed 19 turnovers in the game, compared to 18 for Samford.
 
Samford will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 25, when the Bulldogs play at Chattanooga. The game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. (CT) start from McKenzie Arena.