BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Samford women's basketball delivered a commanding performance on both ends of the floor, rolling past Mercer 68-48 in a Southern Conference rematch at the Pete Hanna Center on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs improved to 11-16 overall and 4-6 in SoCon play with the decisive win.
Samford seized control early and never let go, building a 16-8 lead through one quarter before turning up the defensive intensity in the second. The Bulldogs held Mercer to just 3 points in the second period, outscoring the Bears 16-3 and ballooning the advantage to 32-11 at halftime. The defensive lockdown continued, with Samford maintaining a double-digit cushion the rest of the way and leading for 38 minutes, 44 seconds of game time.
The second half saw Mercer attempt to cut into the deficit, but each run was quickly met by timely buckets from Samford's shooters. A third-quarter three-pointer from Briana Rivera halted Mercer's momentum, and the Bulldogs' dominance in the paint and on the glass kept the visitors at bay. Samford outscored Mercer 38-16 in the paint and finished with a commanding 42-24 rebounding margin.
Offensively, Samford was relentless, shooting 54.9 percent from the field and a blistering 50 percent from behind the arc. The Bulldogs' stifling defense limited Mercer to just 27.3 percent shooting and 11 points in the first half, the lowest allowed by Samford in any half this season.
Senior guard Sierra Godbolt delivered a career night, pouring in 22 points on 10-of-18 shooting, her first collegiate 20-point game, and dishing out 4 assists. She set new career and season highs in both points and field goals made. Briana Rivera added 17 points, connecting on 5-of-9 three-point attempts and playing a team-high 38 minutes to maintain her national lead in made threes. Junior forward Martha Bishop tied her career high with 12 rebounds and contributed 8 points off the bench. Freshman Francie Morris continued her impressive play with 15 points and a career-high-tying 4 assists.
Samford remains undefeated this season when leading with one minute left, now 7-0 in such situations, and showed the depth and balance that make them a threat in conference play.
The Bulldogs will head to Furman on Thursday, Feb. 19 with tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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