HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Southern Miss women's basketball team edged Samford 71-66 on Saturday, Nov. 20 at Reed Green Coliseum. The Golden Eagles (2-1) erased a 31-28 halftime deficit and rallied twice over the Bulldogs (1-3) in the second half for the victory.
Andrea Cournoyer led the Bulldogs with 28 points while
Natalie Armstrong added 10 points. USM's Domonique Davis led all scorers with 29 points.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Southern Miss 71 | Samford 66
Venue | Time: Reed Green Coliseum | Hattiesburg, Miss. | 2 p.m.
Series: 8
th meeting | Southern Miss 6-2
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Southern Miss got out of the gate quickly, leading 6-2 with 7:04 to play in the first quarter.
- The Bulldogs answered with a quick 4-0 run off jumpers by Annie Ramil and Andrea Cournoyer to tie the contest at 6-6 with 5:49 to go in the period.
- Samford took its first lead of the game, 12-11, with 2:57 to go in the first on a 3-pointer by Cournoyer.
- USM and SU closed out the first quarter with the Bulldogs leading 15-14.
- The Golden Eagles opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead 20-15.
- Cournoyer with five points and Kiersten Nelson with two fueled a 7-0 spurt at the end of the period to take a 31-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.
- USM outscored Samford 9-2 over 3:21 of the third to take a 37-32 lead.
- A 3-pointer by Shauntai Battle capped another 7-2 run by the Bulldogs to close out the third quarter, as USM led 46-44 heading into the fourth.
- The Golden Eagles used a 3-pointer by Davis and a pair of free throws from Rose Warren to extend the lead to 51-44 with 9:22 to go in the game.
- The Bulldogs came right back with seven quick points on a 3-pointer by Mallory Hampton and four free throws from Cournoyer and Nelson to tie the game at 51-51 with 7:31 to play.
- The two teams traded buckets until USM reeled-off a 5-0 run to lead 61-56 after another Davis 3-pointer at the 3:14 mark in the period.
- Nelson's jumper and another 3-pointer by Cournoyer tied the contest at 61-61 with 2:05 left on the clock.
- After USM went up 64-61 with 1:37 to play, Armstrong connected on a jumper in the lane to make it a one-point deficit, 64-63.
- Melya Grayson's bucket and a free throw from Davis extended the USM lead to 67-63 with :32 seconds to go.
- Battle canned a deep 3-pointer with :22 seconds to play to cut it to one point again, 67-66.
- USM would ice the game at the line as Davis went 4-for-4 from the stripe to claim the 71-66 victory.
STATS OF THE GAME:
- Samford shot 46.9 percent for the game after making 23-of-49 shots from the field. The Bulldogs were also 9-of-25 from 3-point range and 11-of-17 at the free throw line.
- USM made 26-of-57 shots from the floor for 45.6 percent while hitting 5-of-14 from 3-point range and 14-of-19 at the line.
- The Bulldogs outrebounded the Golden Eagles 31-30 but turned it over 22 times to USM's 13.
- Cournoyer finished with 28 points to lead Samford after hitting 4-of-8 from 3-point range and 8-of-15 overall. She also grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists.
- Hampton closed the game for the Bulldogs with a career-high eight assists and seven points.
- Armstrong had 10 points and four rebounds for Samford as well.
- Davis led all scorers with 29 points while grabbing five rebounds.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Samford and Southern Miss were meeting for the eighth time on the hardwood with the Golden Eagles owning a 6-2 advantage in the series standings. USM defeated Samford, 76-40, on Nov. 18, 2018, in the last meeting between the schools. The Bulldogs won both of their series victories at home in Birmingham.
UP NEXT:
- The Bulldogs continue their four-game road swing at the University of Colorado on Monday, Nov. 22. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at the CU Events Center in Boulder. The game will be broadcast on the Pac 12 Networks.
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