BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Wofford hit 10 first-half three-pointers to build a big lead and held on late to down the Samford women's basketball team, 79-75, Saturday afternoon in the Pete Hanna Center.
"Our goal was to take away the three early, and to give up 10 in the first half against a really good three-point shooting team, it just felt like we started the game down 30," Samford head coach Carley Kuhns said. "But, I'm really proud of this team, I thought we fought back and really responded to changing things defensively."
With the loss, Samford falls to 11-11 overall and 5-2 in Southern Conference play. Wofford improves to 15-6 overall and 5-2 in league play. The teams are now tied atop the league standings.
Samford celebrated the 25th anniversary of starting women's basketball at the game.
"It was a big day for us, celebrating 25 years of women's basketball," Kuhns said. "I'm really proud of the growth this program has had. The two previous coaches have done an unbelievable job of building an incredible culture here and I'm blessed to have the opportunity to come in after them and take over such a special program."
Samford was led in the game by Carly Heidger, scoring 23 points and grabbing nine rebounds, both career highs. Andrea Bailey scored 16 points and dished out five assists. Masyn Marchbanks added 15 points and five assists.
For Wofford, Jackie Carman led the way with 23 points. Rachael Rose had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Terriers.
The game was tight early. With Wofford leading, 11-10, the Terriers went on a 14-0 run to take a 25-10 lead with 2:03 left in the first quarter. Wofford held a 28-14 lead at the end of the first period.
Samford closed the lead to nine points at 30-21 with 7:57 to go in the second quarter following a layup by Marchbanks. With Wofford leading, 35-23, Samford went on a 12-3 run to cut the lead to 38-35 with 3:28 left in the period after a three-pointer by Bailey. Wofford, however, closed the period strong, taking a 45-37 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the third period, Samford closed to within five points at 47-42 with 7:52 to go after a three-pointer by Heidger. Wofford pushed the lead back out to nine points at 51-42 at the 6:03 mark in the third quarter after a layup by Lilly Hatton. Wofford held a 55-49 lead at the end of the third period.
Wofford extended its lead back out to 12 points at 67-55 with 4:40 to go after a layup by Helen Matthews. Samford fought back to cut the lead to three points at 69-66 with 1:28 left after a pair of free throws by Heidger. Wofford pushed the lead back out to eight at 74-66 with 40 seconds to go after two free throws by Rose. A three-pointer by Marchbanks brought Samford back to within three at 75-72 with 17 seconds left. Samford, however, could get no closer as Wofford closed out the 79-75 win.
Samford will play at UNC Greensboro on Thursday, Feb. 2. The game is set for a 6 p.m. (CT) start from Greensboro, N.C.
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS
For the latest news and information on Samford women's basketball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at
SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at
/SamfordWomensBasketball (Facebook),
@SamfordWBB (Instagram) and
@SamfordWBB (Twitter).
