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Game 10: No. 2 Samford 57, No. 1 Appalachian State 54
Box Score
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - In only its third year in the Southern Conference, the Samford Bulldogs claimed it first SoCon Women's Basketball title with a 57-54 thriller over the top seed Appalachian State Mountaineers.
Trailing 54-52 with 29 seconds remaining, the Bulldogs' Emily London was sent to the line for a one-and-one opportunity with the chance to tie the game for the ninth time. However, the nation's best free throw shooter missed only her eighth free throw of the season. Samford's Paige Anderson grabbed the rebound and then proceeded to knock down the biggest three pointer of her career with 16 seconds remaining. Her shot gave Samford its first lead since 15-14 midway through the first half.
With the possibility to regain the lead, ASU took the ball down court and Ashlen Dewart was fouled putting back a Courtney Freeman miss. She was sent to the line for two shots with 4.1 seconds to go. Samford's coach Mike Morris decision to call a timeout and ice Dewart proved effective as the first attempt could not find the net.
Morris stuck with his strategy and called another timeout in between shots, and his strategy paid off as freshman Shelby Campbell pulled down the rebound with 3.0 seconds remaining. The Bulldog freshman did not feel the pressure as she knocked down both shots and gave Samford the three point lead.
The Bulldogs used their last foul-to-give to make the Mountaineers take the ball out of bounds by the Bulldogs' bench with 1.4 seconds remaining. The last second attempt by Ramirez did not get off in time, giving Samford the win and the berth to the NCAA tournament
Trailing 7-4 early in the game, Dewart, one of ASU's best down-low threats, picked up her second foul with 15:54 remaining in the half and spent the remainder of the half on the bench. Despite missing Dewart, the Mountaineers proceeded to outscore the Bulldogs 18-4 in the paint for the rest of the half and built a halftime lead of 30-24.
Appalachian State (25-6) held Samford's precision shooting to only 7-for-25 (28.0 percent) in the half, and kept all-conference Emily London scoreless from the field. However, Samford responded by shooting 42.3 percent (11-for-26) in the second half and hitting six three-pointers compared to one by the Mountaineers.
Anderson led the team with 14 points and six rebounds. The championship Most Outstanding Player Savannah Hill contributed with 13 while all-tournament first team Emily London added 12.
Appalachian State placed three players in double figures, led by Dewart (13 points), Courtney Freeman (12) and Kelsey Sharkey (10).
Despite trailing for most of the game, Samford (25-7) used a strong second half to come back and claim the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Southern Conference All Tournament Team
First Team
Savannah Hill, Samford
Emily London, Samford
Ashlen Dewart, Appalachian State
Anna Freeman, Appalachian State
Kelsey Sharkey, Appalachian State
Second Team
Courtney Freeman, Appalachian State
Sophia Aleksandravicius, Davidson
Ali Ford, Elon
Kylie Lambert, Chattanooga
Mahagony Wililams, Wofford
Most Outstanding Player
Savannah Hill, Samford