Ugly shots, bad turnovers and an absent defense put an end to the Elon University women's basketball team's season Saturday afternoon.
Samford University scored the game's seven points on the way to a decisive 67-36 victory. While Elon was struggling just to draw iron, the Bulldogs were lighting it up from beyond the arc. Samford made 11 of its 20 3-point attempts. The Phoenix made just 11 shots from the field (in 54 attempts) all afternoon.
Elon didn't crack double-digits on the scoreboard until junior forward Kelsey Evan's jumper with 5:54 to go in the first half. By that point, it was 25-11 and the Phoenix still had somewhat of a pulse. But a 13-3 run to close the half made it 38-14 and erased all doubt. The 14 first-half points were the lowest Elon total to a half this season.
Samford came out of the half firing on all cylinders once again. The Bulldogs began the second frame by sinking two 3-pointers that swelled the lead to 41-14. The teams essentially traded baskets the rest of the way, and Samford advanced to play Davidson College in the tournament semifinals tomorrow.
Ali Ford's scored 11 points to pace the Phoenix but also turned the ball over a team-high six times. Evans had nine points and nine assists.