BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—The Samford women's basketball team used a strong second half to come back for a 55-47 Southern Conference win over the East Tennessee State Bucs Thursday evening in the Pete Hanna Center.
 
"I was very proud of how our team responded in the second half," Samford head coach Mike Morris said. "The way we responded, coming out in the second half and taking control of the game around the paint, I think is something, hopefully we can build on with our post players."
 
Samford placed three post players in double figures in scoring. Senior Taylor Reece led the way with 17 points, four rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Destiney Elliott posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Junior Ellen Riggins contributed 10 points in the win.
 
"To have three of our post players score in double figures was big," Morris said. "I thought Destiney, Taylor and Ellen played great. And our guards did a good job of getting them the ball."  
 
For ETSU, Tianna Tarter scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Chandler Christopher added 10 points for the Bucs.
 
Samford got off to a hot start, racing out to a 7-0 lead with 7:25 to go in the first quarter following a layup by Reece. ETSU then went on a 12-2 run to take a 12-9 lead with 1:00 to go in the opening period after a three-pointer by Carley Lytton. The Bucs held a 12-9 advantage after one period.
 
Samford scored the first four points of the second quarter to take a 13-12 lead with 8:51 left in the period following a layup by Riggins. ETSU then went on a 7-1 run to take a 19-14 lead with 4:41 left in the quarter after a jumper by Tarter.
 
Samford fought back to cut the lead to one point at 23-22 with 2:25 left in the second quarter after a three-pointer by Reece. An ETSU layup by Shomari Kendrick with 55 seconds to go in the second quarter sent the Bucs to the locker room with a 25-22 advantage.
 
Samford opened the third quarter with an 11-2 run to take a 33-27 lead with 6:00 left in the period after a layup by Elliott. After ETSU cut the lead to two points at 33-31, Samford closed the third quarter with a 9-0 run to take a 42-31 advantage into the final period.
 
In the fourth quarter, Samford pushed its lead to as much as 12 points at 48-36 and 50-38. ETSU closed to within six points at 53-47 with just 11 seconds left, but the Bucs could get no closer as Samford earned the 55-47 victory.
 
As a team, Samford shot 40.4 percent overall, including a 48.3-percent effort in the second half. ETSU made 36.2 percent of its shots overall, but just 27.3 percent after halftime. Samford won the rebounding battle, 34-31, including a 10-6 advantage on the offensive boards.
 
With the win, Samford improves to 11-8 overall and 3-1 in Southern Conference play. ETSU falls to 11-9 overall and 3-2 in league play.
 
Samford will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 23, when the Bulldogs host the Chattanooga Lady Mocs. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start from the Pete Hanna Center, and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN3.