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ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Kaylee Yarbrough scored 25 points, Francie Morris added 22, and their 3-point shooting was instrumental in sixth-seeded Samford’s 72-67 victory over top-seed Chattanooga in the championship game of the Southern Conference Tournament on Sunday.
Samford advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time, the other appearances coming in 2011 and 2012.
Samford’s three-game SoCon Tournament run included victories over Chattanooga, ETSU and Wofford — the three teams that tied for first place in the regular season. The Bulldogs, 16-18 this season, are the 12th team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament with a losing record.
Yarbrough, a part-time starter during her freshman season, came off the bench to make 5 of 7 3-pointers and Morris made 3 of 6. Samford averages 26 3-point attempts and 8.4 made 3s per game. The Bulldogs made 10 of 17 on Sunday.
Samford took a 54-43 lead to the fourth quarter and saw the margin cut to two points when Chattanooga’s Izzy McPherson buried three 3-pointers in a two-minute stretch, making it 60-58 with 5 1/2 minutes left.
Although the Mocs made only two shots the rest of the game, they had a chance to tie in the final minute. Caia Elisaldez made two free throws to make it 70-67 with 29 seconds left and her steal a few seconds later gave the Mocs a shot at overtime. Kalifa Ford missed from 3-point distance with eight seconds left, Samford rebounded, and Briana Rivera made two free throws to close it out.
Elisaldez scored 20 points and McPherson 17 for Chattanooga (20-10).
Sierra Godbolt scored 12 for Samford.
Chattanooga played in the SoCon Tournament title game for the 22nd time. The Mocs have played in the NCAA Tournament 17 times.
Up next
Selection Sunday is March 15.
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UPDATE: Samford Bulldogs (15-18, 8-8 SoCon) vs. Chattanooga Mocs (20-9, 12-4 SoCon)
Asheville, North Carolina; Sunday, 12 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Chattanooga and Samford meet in the SoCon Championship.
The Mocs have gone 12-4 against SoCon opponents, with an 8-5 record in non-conference play. Chattanooga averages 64.9 points and has outscored opponents by 6.5 points per game.
The Bulldogs’ record in SoCon games is 8-8. Samford is fourth in the SoCon with 11.4 assists per game led by Sierra Godbolt averaging 3.0.
Chattanooga averages 64.9 points per game, 0.3 more points than the 64.6 Samford gives up. Samford averages 59.9 points per game, 1.5 more than the 58.4 Chattanooga gives up.
The teams square off for the third time this season. Samford won the last matchup 77-70 on Feb. 26. Godbolt scored 18 to help lead Samford to the win, and Caia Elisaldez scored 24 points for Chattanooga.
TOP PERFORMERS: Elisaldez is averaging 16.4 points, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals for the Mocs. Gianna Corbitt is averaging 19.3 points over the last 10 games.
Briana Rivera averages 3.3 made 3-pointers per game for the Bulldogs, scoring 11.7 points while shooting 36.5% from beyond the arc. Francie Morris is averaging 12.2 points over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mocs: 6-4, averaging 65.1 points, 32.1 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 7.0 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 42.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 59.9 points per game.
Bulldogs: 7-3, averaging 59.3 points, 27.8 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 5.8 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 40.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 55.5 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
UPDATE: Gianna Corbitt scored 29 points as the Chattanooga Mocs beat Furman 76-65 in the SoCon semi-finals.
Caia Elisaldez scored 28 points in a career high for her.
The Mocs will take on the winner of No. 2 ETSU and No. 6 Samford game. They play Sunday at noon in the Southern Conference Championship. It’s the fourth straight appearance in the title game for the Mocs.
Furman Paladins (18-12, 10-5 SoCon) vs. Chattanooga Mocs (19-9, 11-4 SoCon)
Asheville, North Carolina; Friday, 11 a.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Chattanooga squares off against Furman in the SoCon Tournament.
The Mocs’ record in SoCon play is 11-4, and their record is 8-5 in non-conference play. Chattanooga is third in the SoCon with 9.9 offensive rebounds per game led by Gianna Corbitt averaging 2.1.
The Paladins are 10-5 against SoCon teams. Furman has a 4-1 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
Chattanooga’s average of 6.5 made 3-pointers per game this season is only 0.9 more made shots on average than the 5.6 per game Furman gives up. Furman has shot at a 40.6% clip from the field this season, 2.9 percentage points greater than the 37.7% shooting opponents of Chattanooga have averaged.
The teams square off for the third time this season. Chattanooga won the last matchup 62-54 on Feb. 6. Corbitt scored 30 to help lead Chattanooga to the win, and Clare Coyle scored 17 points for Furman.
TOP PERFORMERS: Caia Elisaldez is scoring 16.0 points per game with 3.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists for the Mocs. Corbitt is averaging 18.6 points and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 57.0% over the past 10 games.
Chantelle Stuart is averaging 7.2 points, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals for the Paladins. Coyle is averaging 16.0 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mocs: 6-4, averaging 64.7 points, 32.0 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 7.0 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 43.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 59.3 points per game.
Paladins: 6-4, averaging 61.9 points, 31.9 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 9.3 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 41.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 59.3 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
