Davidson College Sports Information
Taylor Reece led four Samford players in double figures with 21 points and added seven rebounds to lead the Bulldogs to a 73-65 Southern Conference women’s basketball victory over Davidson in John M. Belk Arena Saturday afternoon.

Laura Murray tallied 21 points and seven rebounds for Davidson (11-7, 7-2 SoCon), and Sophie Aleksandravicius scored 12. Katrin Chiemeka and Amanda Ottaway each scored eight.

Ruth Ketcham scored 15 points for Samford (11-7, 6-3 SoCon), and Paige Anderson netted 13. Hannah Dawson collected 12 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots.

The Bulldogs shot 65 percent in the second half to overcome an 11-point halftime deficit and shot 52 percent from the floor for the game. Davidson shot just 37 percent for the game.

Aleksandravicius tied the game for the fifth time at 59-all with two free throws late in the contest, but Samford answered as Powers broke free for a layup. After a defensive stop, Reece buried a 3-pointer from the corner to make the score 64-59 with 2:21 remaining.

Aleksandravicius hit an elbow jumper for Davidson, and the ‘Cats’ got a stop. Aleksandravicius tried another jumper that didn’t fall, and a held ball was called after a scrum for the rebound, giving the ball to Samford.

The Bulldogs took the ball out of bounds under the Davidson basket, and Ketcham broke free for a long reception and a layup, making the score 66-61 with 1:29 left

The Wildcats were whistled for a charge on their next possession, and Davidson was forced to foul the rest of the way. Samford went 7-for-8 from the free-throw line to ice the game.

The Wildcats used a 10-2 run, keyed by a pair of Murray triples, to open a 19-11 lead midway through the first half. Davidson scored seven straight points, capped by a Barbara Sitton layup, to push the margin to 34-19 with 3:55 remaining and led by 11 points at halftime.

Samford opened the second half with a 12-1 run, with seven points coming from Reece, to get back in the contest and take a slim 37-36 lead.

The game went back and forth from there with four lead changes and two ties. The last tie came at 59-59 on a pair of Aleksandravicius free throws.

The Wildcats hosts SoCon leader Chattanooga Monday at 7 p.m. in Belk Arena.

Game Notes: It was the first loss for Davidson at Belk Arena this season and it snapped an eight-game overall winning streak… Murray topped the 20-point mark for the 11th time in her career and sixth time this season… She has scored in double figures in 14 straight SoCon games… Aleksandravicius has scored in double figures in the last 11 straight games overall.