JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Samford women’s Basketball team dropped a 90-66 decision to the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks on the first day of the North Florida MTE, played Friday at UNF Arena.
Samford fell to 2-7 with the loss. Stephen F Austin improved its record to 6-0 with the victory.
Samford was led in the loss by Alonya Waldon with a career-high 19 points. Kennedy Langham added 14 points for the Bulldogs.
Stephen F. Austin was led by Avery Vansickle with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Harmanie Dominguez added 15 points for the Ladyjacks.
Samford jumped out to an early 5-0 lead with 8:33 left in the first quarter following a layup by Sadie Stetson. With Samford leading, 10-7, Stephen F. Austin went on an 8-0 run to take a 15-10 lead at the 2:21 mark in the first period after a layup by Trinity Moore. At the end of the first quarter, SFA held a 16-11 lead.
SFA pushed its lead to 10 points at 23-13 with 7:51 left in the second quarter after a layup by Makana Gardner. After Samford cut the lead to eight points at 23-15, the Ladyjacks went on a 7-0 run to push their lead to 30-15 at the 5:57 mark in the second quarter after a pair of free throws from Faith Blackstone.
Samford cut the lead to 11 points at 32-21 with 4:46 to go in the quarter after a three-point play from Waldon. The Ladyjacks pushed the lead back out to 15 points at 38-23, but Samford scored eight-straight points to cut the lead to seven at 38-31 with 45 seconds remaining before halftime after two Langham free throws. A late SFA three-pointer gave the Ladyjacks a 41-31 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
Stephen F. Austin pushed the lead back out to 15 points at 48-33 with 8:19 left in the third period following a jumper by Vansickle. The Bulldogs cut the lead back to 12 points at 50-38 with 7:05 to go after a layup by Emily Bowman. Stephen F. Austin pushed its lead out to 23 points late in the third quarter and the Ladyjacks held a 67-44 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Samford cut the lead to 17 points early in the second half, but the Bulldogs could get no closer as Stephen F. Austin came away with the 90-66 win.
Samford will wrap up play in the tournament by taking on the host team, North Florida Saturday at 12 p.m. (CT). The game can be seen live on ESPN+.
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For the latest news and information on Samford women’s basketball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordWomensBasketball (Facebook), @SamfordWBB (Instagram) and @SamfordWBB (Twitter).
