Boxscore (PDF) BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – University of North Florida women's basketball had to contend with a hot-shooting Samford team in an 81-47 setback on Monday night at Pete Hanna Center.
"Quite simply, we got outplayed tonight and it's exceptionally disappointing," said head coach
Mary Tappmeyer. "Give Samford all the credit. They showed up, played extremely well and did all the right things. We knew what we had to do and didn't do it. We have to be more focused and disciplined for the rest of this season."
Samford shot 60.8 percent (31-for-51) for the game, including 64.0 percent (16-for-25) in the first half alone. Meanwhile, UNF shot 35.3 percent (18-for-51). Samford held a slim 30-29 edge on rebounding.
Destinee Smith led UNF with 12 points, while
Paulina Zaveckaite and Janeá Williams each grabbed five rebounds.
Hannah Nichols led Samford with 19 points and five three-pointers, while Taylor Reece and Krista Stricklin each tallied 13 points. Nichols also pulled down five boards.
A slow start hurt UNF from the get-go as the Ospreys trailed 18-5 at 9:11 in the first half. A Smith layup sparked a seven-point UNF run.
Caitlyn Spane capped the run with a jumper at 6:22 as UNF made it an 18-12 game. However, Samford quickly pulled away, using a 16-6 run to take a 34-18 advantage. During that run, four of the Bulldogs' six field goals came from three-point range. UNF got eight more points in the final 2:41 as Samford took a 43-26 lead into halftime.
Samford further increased its lead throughout the second half, using a 9-0 run to go up 52-26 at 17:19. UNF trimmed the Bulldogs' lead down to 21 as Williams hit a jumper at 12:29 that made it 57-36. Samford's consistent shooting allowed the Bulldogs to pull away and outscore UNF 13-7 in the final 7:14.
UNF is back in action later this week at the UNCW Hampton Inn Thanksgiving Classic at Trask Coliseum. The Ospreys face host UNC Wilmington on Friday at 2:30 p.m., and then Eastern Kentucky on Saturday at Noon.
