SPARTANBURG, S.C.— The Samford women's basketball team shot 59.5 percent from the floor on its way to a 68-43 Southern Conference win at Wofford Saturday afternoon at Benjamin Johnson Arena.
"This was probably as close as we've come this year to taking the way we play at home on the road," Samford head coach Mike Morris said. "Wofford shot well early and we just hung in there. This was a good team win."
Samford was led by sophomore guard Hannah Nichols, who tied a career high with 22 points. Sophomore forward Ellen Riggins scored 10 points. Sophomore guards Brittany Stevens and Lydia McGee added nine points each for the Bulldogs. Junior guard Krista Stricklin led Samford in rebounding with six.
Wofford was led by Kelsey Lambdin with nine points. Grayson Pinholster added eight points for the Terriers.
Wofford jumped out to an early lead, taking a 6-0 advantage with 16:07 to go in the first half following a three-pointer by Lambdin. With Wofford leading, 13-9, Samford went on an 11-2 run to take a five-point lead at 20-15 with 9:14 left in the half after a jumper by Nichols. Wofford fought back to tie the game at 22-22 with 7:26 left in the first half after a layup by Ashton Fleming.
Samford then went on a 13-2 run to take a 35-24 lead with 1:36 left in the opening period following a layup by Nichols. Samford held a 37-26 lead with 43 seconds to go before halftime. A three-pointer by Wofford's Maria Corella with five seconds left in the half made the score 37-29 heading into halftime.
In the second half, Wofford closed to within six points early at 37-31. With Samford holding a 39-33 advantage, the Bulldogs went on a 15-4 run to push their lead out to 17 points at 52-35 with 9:53 to go in the game following a jumper by Riggins.
Samford eventually pushed its lead out to as much as 27 points at 66-39 at the 3:26 mark in the second half. Wofford could no closer than 25 points the rest of the way as Samford came away with the 68-43 win.
The win is Samford's third-straight victory. The Bulldogs improve to 14-11 overall and 7-3 in Southern Conference play. Wofford falls to 7-18 overall and 2-8 in league games.
Samford will return to action on Monday, Feb. 16, when the Bulldogs play at Furman. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. (CT) start from Greenville, S.C.
