LIVE STATS
WATCH LIVE (ESPN3)
GAME NOTES
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The fifth-seeded Samford women's basketball team will open play in the 2018 Southern Conference Tournament by taking on fourth-seeded Furman Thursday at 12:15 p.m. (CT) at the U.S. Cellular Center.
The winner of the Samford-Furman game will take on either Mercer or Western Carolina in Friday's semifinal round at 10 a.m. (CT). The championship game of the tournament is scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT). All games in the tournament will air on ESPN3.
Samford enters the game with a record of 14-15 overall and 6-8 in SoCon play. The Bulldogs are coming off a 71-65 loss to Chattanooga last Saturday.
Samford is led offensively by senior guard
Hannah Nichols, averaging 13.1 points per game. Nichols was named second-team All-SoCon by the media and third team by the coaches Tuesday. Sophomore
Olivia Crozier averages 9.0 points per game for the Bulldogs.
Nichols also leads the team in rebounding, grabbing 7.0 boards per contest. Crozier is second in that category as well, averaging 5.1 rebounds per game.
Sophomore guard
Charity Brown leads the team and ranks second in the SoCon in assists, dishing out 5.7 assists per game. Crozier averages 1.3 assists per game.
Furman enters Thursday's game with a record of 17-12 overall and 7-7 in league play. The Paladins are coming off a 63-57 win over Wofford last Saturday.
Furman is led in scoring by Cierra Carter, averaging 15.9 points per game. Le'Jzae Davidson averages 13.2 points per game for the Paladins.
DeAnneisha Jackson leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 6.9 boards per contest. Carter ranks second in the category, averaging 6.7 rebounds per game.
Stephania Oramas leads Furman in assists, dishing out 5.1 assists per game. Carter averages 1.7 assists per game for the Paladins.
Samford and Furman are meeting for the 22
nd time, with the Bulldogs holding a 13-8 advantage in the series. The teams split the regular-season series, with Furman winning the first meeting, 45-41, in Greenville, S.C. Samford took the meeting in Birmingham by a score of 62-58 in overtime.
Samford has a record of 8-2 against Furman in Birmingham, 5-5 in Greenville, and 0-1 against the Paladins at neutral sites. The lone previous meeting in the SoCon Tournament came in the 2015 event, when Furman came away with a 65-54 victory over Samford.
Thursday's game is scheduled for a 12:15 p.m. (CT) start. The game can be seen live on ESPN3, and live stats will be available as well. Links to both are below.
LIVE STATS
WATCH LIVE (ESPN3)
