Sammi Deakin-Sharpe
Zachary Carlton
Sammi Deakin-Sharpe had a team-high 13 points against Samford
43
Nicholls NICH 1-3
45
Winner Samford SAM 5-1
Nicholls NICH
1-3
43
Final
45
Samford SAM
5-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Nicholls NICH 13 14 6 10 43
Samford SAM 12 9 14 10 45

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Colonels Edged by Samford, 45-43

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HATTIESBURG, Miss.  – Trailing by two with seven seconds remaining, the Nicholls State University women's basketball team  went for the victory against Samford as a 3-pointer by LiAnn McCarthy was blocked as time expired, giving Samford a 45-43 victory over Nicholls on Friday night in the Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic.
 
With the loss, Nicholls fell to 1-3 on the season and 0-3 all-time against Samford (5-1). The Colonels will wrap up the tournament on Saturday against Mississippi Valley State at 2 p.m.
 
In a low-scoring affair, the Colonels shot 60 percent in the first half to take a 27-21 lead at the break.  However, the Bulldogs scored 12 straight points to take the lead and the game was a back-and-forth battle the rest of the way.
 
Down 40-35 with five minutes remaining in the game, Nicholls got baskets from McCarthy, Marina Lilly and Cassidy Barrios to take a one-point lead with 2:30 to go. Samford answered with a pair of field goals to lead 44-41 before Hope Pawlowski scored on a layup for the Colonels with less than a minute remaining.
 
Following a block by Lilly, Nicholls came up empty on its next possession and was forced to foul with just 10 seconds left on the clock. The Bulldogs converted on the first free throw for a 45-43 lead, but misfired on the second. Samford corralled the offensive rebound and was fouled again, but this time, the Bulldogs missed both to keep the Colonels' deficit at two. After a timeout, McCarthy's shot was blocked by Ellen Riggins to give Samford the victory and a date in the championship game with Southern Miss.
 
Sammi Deakin-Sharpe led Nicholls with 13 points, while Samford's Destiney Elliot had a game-high 17 points. The Colonels shot just 27 percent in the second half, which led to a six-point third quarter. The Bulldogs made 29 percent from the field and were 4 of 26 from 3-point range.
 
Nicholls had trouble taking care of the ball, turning it over 28 times which led to a 16-11 Samford advantage on points off turnovers. The Bulldogs had a slight edge on the boards, 38-34.