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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford women's basketball team used a strong second-half performance to earn a 61-37 win over Alabama A&M Saturday afternoon in the Pete Hanna Center.
 
The Bulldogs trailed Alabama A&M, 26-21 at halftime, but Samford came back to outscore A&M, 40-11 over the final two quarters. Samford shot just 28 percent in the first half, but made 48 percent of its shots in the second half.
 
"I thought we were unsure and hesitant in the first half, but I was pleased with how we responded in the second half, in terms of being aggressive," Samford head coach Mike Morris said. "We were not making our shots, we missed some layups and some wide-open threes. There are going to be games like that when the ball just doesn't go in, and being able to play through that and guarding and taking care of the basketball is a lesson learned."
 
Samford was led in scoring by Kassidy Blevins with 16 points. Hannah Nichols had 14 points and six rebounds. Samantha Fitzgerald scored 11 points, while Charity Brown had eight points and eight rebounds, and Ellen Riggins added seven points and seven rebounds.
 
"We didn't turn the ball over in the second half and that gave us a chance to wear them down, defensively," Morris said. "When we were turning it over in the first half, we kind of gave them some life, but even when we were not scoring in the second half and didn't turn the ball over, I think the cumulative effect was that we kind of wore them down."
 
For Alabama A&M, Jemeica Webb scored 12 points. Josta Totten had nine points, while Hilary Williams added eight points.
 
After Samford jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, Alabama A&M closed the first quarter with a 10-0 run to take a 10-6 advantage into the second quarter. In the second period, A&M built a seven-point lead at 23-16 with 2:28 to go in the quarter. Alabama A&M took a 26-21 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
 
Samford scored 14 of the first 16 points in the third quarter to take a 35-28 lead with 4:44 left in the period. Samford outscored Alabama A&M, 16-3 in the quarter to take a 37-29 lead into the final quarter. In the fourth quarter, Samford outscored A&M, 24-8 for the 61-37 win.
 
With the win, Samford improves to 4-4 on the season, and the Bulldogs are 4-0 at home. Alabama A&M falls to 2-5 with the loss.
 
Samford will continue its current home stand by hosting Belmont Monday evening. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start from the Pete Hanna Center. To purchase tickets, click on the following link: PURCHASE TICKETS.