Updated Sunday, 5:27 p.m.
SOURCE: Southern Conference
ASHEVILLE – No. 4 seed Samford held off No. 1 Davidson, 62-51, in the opening semifinal game at the Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Championship Sunday. The Bulldogs built a 36-16 lead by halftime to out-distance the Wildcats.
The loss ends the Wildcats’ season at 22-9 overall, 17-3 in the Southern Conference. Samford (19-12, 12-8 SoCon) advances to Monday’s final against Appalachian State.
Shelby Campbell was hot off the bench leading Samford with 24 points. She made eight of her 10 field goal attempts including three-for-four from three-point range. Ruth Ketcham added 11 points and seven rebounds.
Laura Murray had 18 points and three steals for Davidson. Sophia Aleksandravicius had 13 points and nine rebounds.
It was a dominant first half for the Bulldogs. The ladies built a 20-point halftime advantage behind Campbell’s play off the bench. She scored 15 in the opening frame while defensively Samford allowed the Wildcats just five field goals on 23 attempts (21.7 percent).
Samford broke open a five-point game midway through the half. Leading 15-10 with 9:39 to go, the Bulldogs out-scored the Wildcats 21-6 the rest of the way holding Davidson to one-for-12 shooting in the final nine minutes of the half.
The Wildcats charged back after intermission. They opened the second frame with a 15-2 run of their own closing within seven, 38-31, at 12:08. It was an eight-point deficit with four to play after two Murray free throws, but the Bulldogs held on making nine-for-10 from the charity stripe over the next three minutes to take a 13-point lead into the final minute before claiming the 62-51 win.
Samford, which is looking to win its second consecutive SoCon Tournament title, will play No. 2 Appalachian State, which beat No. 3 Chattanooga, 77-52, Sunday afternoon. The Mountaineers dominated the second half, led by Maryah Sydnor, who had a career-high 30 points.
The championship game will air at 5 p.m. Monday on SoCon Sports Network and ESPN3.com.
Davidson College Sports Information reports that the women actually aren’t done yet: They’ll get an automatic bid to the Women’s NIT as the SoCon regular season winner.
GAME NOTES: The 20-point halftime deficit was the Cats’ largest this season. … The Wildcats tried to come back with three-pointers, but they made just 2-of-21 attempts all game. … Davidson’s all time record in the semifinals of the conference tournament falls to 1-7. … Murray reached double figures in the scoring column for the 45th time in her career and the 26th time this season … Davidson ended just one victory short of tying the school record for wins in a season, set by the 2006-07 squad.
ADDITIONAL COVERAGE
DavidsonWildcats.com
Download the Davidson vs. Samford box score. (PDF)
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