BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford women's basketball team opened the 2023-24 season with a 78-51 win over the Auburn-Montgomery Warhawks in front of the largest women's crowd in the history of the Pete Hanna Center Monday.
The game was played in front of 1,621 fans, mostly students from local schools as part of Samford's Education Day. Samford is now 1-0 with the win. The game was an exhibition contest for AUM and does not count towards its season record.
"Obviously it's good to get a win under the belt," Samford head coach Carley Kuhns said. "I can't speak enough to our marketing team for the crowd and the environment that was created for us today. What an incredible opportunity for our kids to play in front of that many people. Katie Archer and Kyya Smith did a good job to get people in the stands. What a cool environment, it was loud, my throat is going to be sore today from having to yell."
All 12 Samford players saw time in the game with 11 of those players scoring. Carly Heidger led the team with 19 points. Emily Bowman scored a career-high 16 points, while also grabbing a team-high five rebounds. Graduate transfer Lexie Pritchard scored nine points and dished out a career-high seven assists in her Samford debut. Alyssa Tarpley added eight points for the Bulldogs.
"Everyone got time, everyone got into the game," Kuhns said. "I thought we did a really good job early of getting the ball out in transition. I thought we did a pretty good job taking care of the ball. Overall, I was pleased with how we played, we've just got to continue to grow and get better."
For AUM, Allasha Dudley led the way with 25 points. Jemeriah Moore added 14 points for the Warhawks.
Samford opened the game on a 6-0 run following a layup by Pritchard with 8:22 to go in the first quarter. With Samford leading, 8-5, the Bulldogs closed the quarter with an 11-3 run to take a 19-8 lead at the end of the period.
In the second quarter, Samford opened up a 13-point lead at 25-12 with 6:40 to go in the period following a pair of free throws by Bowman. After AUM cut the lead to nine at 29-20, Samford closed the half with a 6-0 run to take a 35-20 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Bulldogs pushed their lead out to 24 points at 56-32 with 2:53 to go in the third quarter after a free throw by Kennedy Langham. With Samford leading, 58-35, AUM went on a 7-1 run to cut the lead to 59-42 at the end of the third period.
Samford opened the fourth quarter with a 13-3 run to push its lead to 72-45 with 3:34 to go after a layup by Bowman. The Bulldogs pulled out the 78-51 victory over the Warhawks.
Samford will next play host to Central Arkansas on Saturday, Nov. 11. The game is set for a 2 p.m. start from the Pete Hanna Center.
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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).
