Samford 62, Auburn Montgomery 24

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—The Samford women’s basketball team held Auburn Montgomery to just 20 percent shooting from the floor on its way to a 62-24 win over the Warhawks Tuesday evening in the Pete Hanna Center.

Samford was led in the game by Hannah Dawson with 11 points and eight rebounds. Dawson made 4-of-6 shots from the floor and 3-of-4 from three-point range. Her 11 points are a season-high for the senior forward.

Senior Jazmine Martin had nine points for the Bulldogs. Freshman Lydia McGee scored eight points, while junior Christy Robinson had seven points, a career-high seven rebounds and a career-high five blocks. Junior Kendall Schwantz and freshmen Keke Fletcher and Rebecca Webster added six points each in the win.

As a team, Samford dished out 19 assists, while committing just eight turnovers. The Bulldogs forced AUM into 20 turnovers in the game.

For AUM, LaKenya Drayton had eight points and eight rebounds. Marren Schwartz added four points for the Warhawks.

The teams traded baskets early in the game until, with Samford leading, 5-4, with 16:28 to go in the first half, Samford went on a 20-0 run to take a 25-4 lead with 6:14 left in the half after a jumper by Martin.

A three-pointer by AUM’s Katie Williams cut the Samford lead to 25-7, but Samford scored the final five points of the half to take a 30-7 lead into halftime. The first half marked the second time in the last three games Samford has held an opponent under 10 points in the first half, as the Bulldogs limited Alabama State to just four points in the first half of last Friday’s contest in the Samford Thanksgiving Classic.

Samford built its lead to 26 points early in the second half at 38-12 with 15:25 to go after a free throw by Taylor Reece. AUM fought back to cut the lead to 23 points at 40-17 with 13:31 left following a three-point play by Drayton.

Samford then went on an 8-0 run to push its lead to 31 at 48-17 with 9:40 left after a layup by Kendall Schwantz. With Samford leading, 51-20, the Bulldogs closed the game with an 11-4 run to come away with the 62-24 win.

With the win, Samford improves to 3-2 on the young season. AUM remains 7-0 as the game was counted as an exhibition for the NAIA school.

Samford will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 1, when the Bulldogs play host to Wofford in the Southern Conference opener for both teams. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start from the Pete Hanna Center.

Liberty 76, UNCG 56

LYNCHBURG, Va. – In its final tuneup before Southern Conference play begins, the UNCG women’s basketball team battled back from a double-digit second-half deficit to trail by just seven with six minutes left, but 2012-13 Big South preseason favorite Liberty was too much in the end as the Lady Flames captured a 76-56 victory Tuesday evening inside the Vines Center.

The Spartans forced the Lady Flames into 27 turnovers, which resulted in 17 steals for the Blue and Gold – including a career-high four from sophomore Jarae Savage. UNCG hit 38-percent of its shots in the second half to finish with a 32-percent mark from the field while the Lady Flames ended up at 44 percent (29-for-66). Liberty, long considered one of the top rebounding teams in the nation, also held the upper hand in that statistic by a 55-36 count. The Lady Flames shared the ball well, recording 21 assists on their 29 buckets.

Freshman point guard Lucy Mason set a career high in the game with 18 points, including the team’s only three-point field goal, while junior guard Breonna Patterson (Greensboro, N.C./Dudley) netted a season-best 14 with 12 in the second half. On the boards, junior Janae’ Stevenson picked up a team-best seven (four offensive) and fell just short of double figures in points with eight.

Liberty rattled off seven of the first nine points of the game, including five from Devon Brown, before Mason cut the deficit to three with a jumper. The home team stretched its cushion to 17-7 at the 12:29 mark on a tip-in bucket by Ashley Rininger, but the Spartans responded behind three different players to slice the deficit to 19-12 with 8:47 remaining in the half.

UNCG was held scoreless for a long stretch as Liberty went on an 11-0 run to take a 30-12 advantage all the way down to the 2:59 mark. The Spartans were able to keep relatively close as the halftime buzzer sounded, as four points from senior Natalie Headley, the last coming with 56 seconds on the clock, ended an 8-4 run for UNCG to make the halftime score 34-20.

The Spartans suffered from a poor shooting half, knocking down just 25-percent of their attempts from the field (7-for-28) while the Lady Flames drained 46 percent of their tries (15-for-33). UNCG continued its fine early-season defensive effort in the first 20 minutes, forcing 15 Liberty turnovers and recording 10 steals. The Lady Flames held a 27-17 advantage on the glass and pulled down 10 offensive rebounds as part of that effort.

Mason paced UNCG with 11 points in the period while Headley chipped in with four. Freshman Jazmine Missouri and Stevenson each grabbed three rebounds apiece while Rininger led all players with six boards (three offensive).

Liberty opened up a 41-23 advantage in the second half on the strength of an Emily Frazier three-point field goal. The lead grew to 19 before the Spartans made a run as a Stevenson jumper made the score 46-35 with 11:17 left in the game.

After an old-fashioned three-point play by Katelyn Adams stretched the Lady Flame lead back to 15, UNCG made one final push. With Liberty in front 51-38 at the 8:20 mark, three-straight buckets by Savage and Stevenson gave the Spartans life and brought the visitors to within 51-44 with 7:06 on the clock. A three-pointer by Mason cut the Lady Flames’ cushion back to eight after Sadalia Ellis knocked down a pair of free throws, but Tolu Omotola dropped in a layup to put the Liberty lead back to double figures. The Lady Flames were able to salt the game away in the last five minutes, scoring the contest’s final 10 points.

UNCG returns to the court Saturday, heading to the mountains to face Western Carolina in both teams’ league opener. Tipoff at the Ramsey Center is slated for 5 p.m.

USC Upstate 51, Western Carolina 48

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina women’s basketball’s (2-3) second half comeback attempt fell short in the Catamounts’ 51-48 loss to USC Upstate(2-3) Tuesday in the Ramsey Center.

The Catamounts outscored the Spartans 25-18 in the second half, but couldn’t overcome the 10-point deficit, 33-23, Western Carolina suffered at the halftime break. USC Upstate shot a blistering 65 percent in the first half and shooting 50 percent for the game.

Western Carolina had its chances in the second half, including getting a golden opportunity in the waning seconds of the contest. USC Upstate’s Tweety Hawkins missed both free throws with 15 seconds remaining with the Spartans leading 50-48. After the second missed free throw, Western Carolina had a hand on the rebound but Travonda Haddock pulled it down for USC Upstate and was fouled. Haddock hit 1-of-2 free throws to put the Spartans up by three, 51-48.

The Catamounts mounted a last ditch effort, with three seconds left, as junior Rena Wakama looked for a shot. She fought for an open look but it fell short and the rebound went to USC Upstate to end the game.

Trailing by two, redshirt senior Diamond Hunnicutt had the opportunity to tie the game but she missed one of her two free throws leaving the Spartans leading by one, 46-45. Freshman Lindsay Simpson could have given the Catamounts the lead, with 1:14 left, but she connected on just 1-of-2 free throws; however her one free throw knotted the game at 46.

USC Spartanburg re-took the lead for good, with 39 seconds remaining, when Tee’Ara Copney hit a lay-up to make the score 48-46.

On the heels of having her jerseys retired for both basketball and volleyball, at Franklin High school on Wednesday, Simpson had a career night in the infancy of her time with Western Carolina. She scored a career-best seven points, including hitting her second three pointer of the season, had a steal and two rebounds.

Fellow newcomer, junior Hana Haden, had a career game with eight points and also hit a season-best two three pointers. The two treys by Haden were the only three-pointers in the game for Western Carolina.

It was free throws that were the crux for Western Carolina with the Catamounts hitting 16-of-24 for the game. The Catamounts struggled from the charity stripe in the first half, hitting 7-of-12.

Western Carolina did win the rebounding battle, 39 to 33 and committed 13 turnovers to USC Upstate’s 19.

Haden along with Hunnicutt led Western Carolina with eight points. Shauna Terry paced the Catamounts with seven rebounds.

Western Carolina opens Southern Conference play on Saturday.