Game 9: #2 Samford 66, #3 Appalachian State 53
Box Score
Photo Slideshow
Postgame Quotes
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Samford backcourt duo of Monica Maxwell and Emily London combined to knock down eight 3-pointers and score 33 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 66-53 women's basketball victory over Appalachian State in the Southern Conference Tournament semifinals Sunday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Arena.
The second-seeded Bulldogs advance to Monday's 5 p.m. championship game, where they will face top-seed Chattanooga in Time Warner Cable Arena. The game will be televised live on SportsSouth, and the winner will secure the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Maxwell led the way with 17 points to go along with four assists, and London scored 16 points. Alex Crow added 10 points and four assists, while Savannah Hill recorded seven points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Chakeitha Weldon scored a game-high 21 points to go along with five rebounds to lead the Mountaineers (19-12), and Anna Freeman posted 12 points, six rebounds and five assists. Catherine Williams had six points and 11 rebounds.
Turnovers proved to be the difference as ASU committed 23, and Samford (22-9) scored 25 points off of the mistakes. The Bulldogs also made 11-of-25 from the 3-point line and held the Apps to 0-for-6.
Appalachian State held a 41-19 edge in rebounding, and used an 18-4 edge on the offensive glass to score 15 second-chance points.
Leading 38-29, the Bulldogs used a 10-4 run to open a 48-33 cushion following a Hill layup midway through the second half. It was two of five points for Hill during the stretch.
Every time the Mountaineers tried to get the lead under double digits, Samford had an answer. The closest ASU got was 10 points, but the Bulldogs used an 9-2 spurt, capped by a pair of Crow free throws, to open an insurmountable 61-44 cushion with 4:02 to play.
App. State crept to within 11 points following a Freeman free throw with 1:39 to go, but London hit a pair of free throws and Crow made a layup to put the contest out of reach.
After a Weldon jumper made the score 12-11 in favor of Samford, the Bulldogs surged ahead with a 17-4 run. Crow and Paige Anderson started the run with consecutive conventional 3-point plays, and a J'Quita Babineaux layup made the lead 29-15 with 3:28 left in the half.
The Mountaineers committed eight turnovers during the stretch, and the Bulldogs scored 15 points off the miscues, helping Samford go into halftime with a 32-23 advantage.
Game Notes: Samford will be making its first appearance in the SoCon Championship game; the Bulldogs joined the league prior to the 2008-09 season... Samford is 3-1 all-time in SoCon Tourney play... Monday's game will be the first in the SoCon Tourney between Samford and Chattanooga... ASU suffered its first loss in the semifinals since 1997... It was the first time App. State and Samford have played in the SoCon Tournament.