CULLOWHEE, N.C.— The Samford women's basketball team held Western Carolina to just 33.3 percent shooting on its way to a 60-50 road Southern Conference win Monday afternoon at WCU's Ramsey Center.
 
"Our team is committed to defending and rebounding right now," Samford head coach Mike Morris said. "That is a credit to the character of our players. That's something that is not automatic; you have to bring that every day in practice. That gave us a chance to win the game even when we struggled putting the ball in the goal in the first half."
 
Samford was led in the win by Hannah Nichols, tying a career high with 22 points. Nichols made 9-of-13 shots overall and 4-of-7 from three-point range. Lydia McGee scored nine points, while Brittany Stevens added eight points and five assists for the Bulldogs.
 
For Western Carolina, Justin Taylor led the way with 24 points. Ali Lane added seven points for the Catamounts.
 
Western Carolina jumped out to an early 5-2 lead with 16:10 to go in the first half after a basket by Lane. Samford came back to take a 10-7 lead with 13:31 left in the half following a layup by Stevens. Western Carolina scored the next five points to take a 12-10 lead with 10:46 to go in the half after a pair of free throws by Justin Taylor.
 
With Samford trailing, 17-16, the Bulldogs went on an 11-5 run to take the largest lead of the first half at 27-22 with 4:15 to go after another basket by Stevens. Western Carolina, however, scored the final seven points of the first half to take a 29-27 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
 
In the second half, with Samford trailing, 32-30, the Bulldogs went on an 11-2 run to take a seven-point lead at 41-34 with 13:38 left in the game after a layup by Nichols. Western Carolina fought back to cut the lead to four points at 48-44 with 5:28 left in the game following a jumper by Taylor.
 
Samford, however, scored the next five points on a three-point play by Destiney Elliott and a jumper by Taylor Reece to take a nine-point lead at 53-44 with 3:50 left in the game. WCU came back to cut the lead to five points at 53-48. With Samford leading 55-50, the Bulldogs scored the last five points of the game to pull away for the 60-50 win.
 
As a team, Samford shot 43.4 percent, including 41.2 percent from three-point range. Samford won the rebounding battle, 33-32.
 
With the win, Samford improves to 9-8 overall and 2-0 in Southern Conference play. The win, combined with Saturday's win at UNCG, marks the first time Samford has won back-to-back SoCon road games since 2012. Western Carolina falls to 8-9 overall and 0-2 in league games.
 
Samford will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 17, when the Bulldogs play host to Furman. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start from the Pete Hanna Center.