Samford 59, Penn State 56 (OT)
ATLANTA, Ga. – The Samford women’s basketball team overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to earn a 59-56 overtime win over defending Big 10 champion Penn State Sunday afternoon on the final day of the Georgia State Thanksgiving Invitational at the GSU Sports Arena.
Samford trailed 21-13 at halftime, and 38-22 with 9:59 left in the second half. The Bulldogs outscored the Lady Lions, 33-25 in the second half and 13-10 in the overtime period.
With Samford trailing, 38-22 midway through the second half, the Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to eight points at 38-30 with 6:36 to go after a layup by Hannah Nichols. The Lady Lions held a 10-point advantage at 46-36 with 5:27 to go, but Samford scored the final 10 points of regulation, tying the score on a three-pointer by Nichols with 1:39 left in the second half.
The teams headed to overtime tied at 46-46. After PSU took a 48-46 lead on a pair of free throws by Tori Waldner, Samford went on a 9-1 run to take a 55-49 lead with 1:48 to go after a layup by Ellen Riggins. Penn State fought back to cut the Samford lead to one point at 57-56 with 16 seconds left after two free throws by Sierra Moore. Two late free throws by Krista Stricklin sealed the 59-56 win for the Bulldogs.
For the game for Samford, Taylor Reece led the team with 22 points and six rebounds. Nichols scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Riggins and Stricklin scored nine points each for Samford in the win.
Despite giving up a significant size advantage to Penn State, Samford out-rebounded the Lady Lions, 42-40. Samford had eight offensive rebounds, while limiting PSU to just seven offensive boards.
Penn State was led by Moore with 17 points. Jenny DeGraaf scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Lady Lions. Lindsey Spann added 10 points for PSU, while Waldner had eight points and 12 rebounds for Penn State.
In the first half, Penn State jumped out to an early seven-point lead at 9-2 with 14:37 left after a free throw by Spann. Samford cut the lead to four at 9-5 after a jumper by Reece and a free throw by Destiney Elliott with 13:04 left in the first half.
With Samford trailing, 11-7, Penn State went on a 6-0 run to take a 17-7 lead with 5:08 to go in the half after a free throw by Moore. Penn State took a 21-13 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Samford cut the lead to two points at 21-19 after back-to-back three-pointers by Reece with 19:05 left in regulation. With Samford trailing, 25-22, Penn State went on a 13-0 run to take a 16-point lead at 38-22, setting the stage for the Bulldogs’ comeback.
As a team, Samford shot 36.4 percent for the game (26.6 percent in the first half, 35.7 percent in the second half and 66.7 percent in overtime). The Bulldogs made 4-of-6 shots from the floor in the overtime period. Penn State shot 32.8 percent for the game, including a 28.6-percent effort in the extra period.
The win is Samford’s first-ever victory over a Big 10 opponent. Samford improves to 4-2, while Penn State drops to 1-5.
Samford will return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 3, when the Bulldogs play at in-state rival Troy. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start from Trojan Arena.
Southern Illinois 67, Mercer 52
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Mercer women’s basketball team fell, 67-52, to Southern Illinois on Sunday afternoon at the SIU Arena.
Alicia Williams paced the Bears with a season-high-tying 13 points, marking her third double-figure game of the year. Alex Williams led Mercer on the boards, pulling down nine rebounds, adding four points and a season-high three steals.
Precious Bridges recorded eight points, six rebounds and two assists, while Kahlia Lawrence tallied seven points and five rebounds. Kayla Potts saw her first action of the season, notching two points, two rebounds and a steal in just four minutes of play.
Sydni Means and Briana Williams each scored six points, and Teanna Robinson recorded five rebounds, two points, a block, a steal and an assist.
Mercer (4-2) and Southern Illinois (4-1) played an evenly-matched game for nearly 30 minutes, but a 24-4 run in the first half that made the difference for the Salukis.
After the two teams traded baskets for the first 6:29, the Bears held a 12-11 advantage over the Salukis. However, Southern Illinois outscored Mercer, 24-4 over the next 10:20 to take a 34-17 lead with 2:04 left in the half. Alicia Williams scored the final basket of the half with a layup at 1:27 to move the score to 34-19 before halftime.
Alicia Williams led Mercer in the first half with six points, while Lawrence notched five and both Briana Williams and Bridges scored four. Alex Williams led the Bears with four rebounds.
The Orange and Black shot just 27.3 percent from the field in the first half, while the Salukis were 15-of-34 for a 44.1 shooting percentage.
Mercer matched Southern Illinois point-for-point in the second stanza, but was unable to overcome the deficit from the first. The Bears improved to a 39.4 shooting percentage in the second half, as well as connecting on 7-of-8 trips to the charity stripe. Overall, Mercer and Southern Illinois both notched 44 rebounds, and the Salukis won the turnover battle, 11-14.
The Bears will return to Hawkins Arena on Thursday, Dec. 4, when they host the Georgia Lady Bulldogs at 7 p.m.
Mercer will also host a Teddy Bear Toss on Dec. 4. Fans are encouraged to bring a new teddy bear or stuffed animal to the gym. During halftime, a target will be placed at the center of the gym and fans will attempt to hit the target with the stuffed animals. The three fans that make is closest to the target will win prizes. More importantly, all the teddy bears and stuffed animals will be donated to the Children's Hospital Navicent Health in Macon.