Early and The Wildcats Shoot Past Samford on the Road, 83-68

Saturday, January 4

Birmingham, Ala.

3:00 p.m.

Davidson College

6-8, 3-0SoCon

Samford

3-11, 1-2SoCon

Davidson

Samford

Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com

Early and The Wildcats Shoot Past Samford on the Road, 83-68

1/4/2014 5:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID

Box Score (html)
DavidsonPhotos.com

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Junior Hannah Early scored a career-high 25 points, 15 of them from behind the arc, and Davidson shot 51 percent for the game in remaining perfect in the Southern Conference with an 83-68 road win at Samford Saturday afternoon in Pete Hanna Center in women's basketball.

The Wildcats (6-8, 3-0 SoCon) snapped a four-game road losing streak, a two-game overall streak and opened league play 3-0 for the third straight season. They also knotted the series up at 6-all vs. Samford, which fell to 3-11 overall and 1-2 in the SoCon.

Early hit 7-of-12 shots, including 5-for-7 from downtown, and swished home 6-of-7 free throws to top her pervious career-best by three points. She scored 13 points in the first half.

Three other 'Cats hit the double-digit mark in points in the win, with Laura Murray dropping in 18, followed by Shannon Eriksson at 16 (career-best) and Lillian McCabe with 10.

The trio along with Early helped Davidson hit a season-best 11 three-pointers on 22 attempts, while they drained 16 of the 'Cats' 20 total free throws on the afternoon.

Davidson put the game away with a 29-11 run to open the second half in turning a three-point halftime advantage into a 69-48 lead with 6:35 left in the game. Early (11) and Murray (11) combined for 22 points during the big run, with Early finishing the spurt off with five straight points including the Wildcats' last triple.

Samford tried to comeback, cutting its deficit to under 10 twice, but Davidson responded each time. The Wildcats sealed the win by going 10-for-12 at the charity stripe in the final minute and a half. Eriksson led the way with a 6-for-6 showing.

The Bulldogs' put four in double figures with Christy Robinson scoring 19 points, 13 of them coming in the first half. Lydia McGee had 14 followed by Hannah Nichols and Krista Stricklin with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The first half featured five ties and seven lead changes in a back and forth affair. Early's second three-ball of the half gave Davidson a 15-11 lead, but Samford countered with a 19-6 run to grab a 30-21 lead with 7:01 on the clock.

After a quick 30-second time following Samford's run, Davidson got hot and responded with a19-7 rally to close the half for a 40-37 edge at halftime. Eriksson sparked the run with a couple shots from downtown and Early added her third triple of the half during the run. Davidson went 7-for-13 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes.

Davidson hit 52.5 percent in the second half after hitting an even 50 percent in the first half. The Wildcat defense shut Samford down in the second half, holding it to 37 percent shooting after the Bulldogs nailed 62.5 percent in the first half.

Davidson finishes out the weekend trip with a visit to Chattanooga Monday, Jan. 6, for a 7 p.m. tip.

GAME NOTES: Davidson has won its last four straight league games dating back to the end of last season … Murray has scored in double figures in all 14 games this year … Early's 25-point outing was her fifth 20-point game of the year … McCabe dished out a personal-high five assists … the Wildcats turned 17 Bulldog turnovers into 26 points.