SoCon Women's Basketball Opening Week: Samford, WCU Top 95

SoCon women's basketball opened 6-3 as Samford set two school records, Western Carolina scored 96, and Chattanooga and Mercer delivered defensive wins.

SoCon women's basketball opened with six wins in nine games. Samford and Western Carolina each scored at least 96 points. Chattanooga and Mercer won with defense. The league's three losses came on the road against power-conference opponents.

Date	Result	Site
Nov. 2	Samford 102, Montevallo 42	Birmingham, Ala.
Nov. 2	Western Carolina 96, Carolina University 31	Cullowhee, N.C.
Nov. 2	Chattanooga 85, UVA Wise 44	Chattanooga, Tenn.
Nov. 2	Mercer 69, North Greenville 41	Macon, Ga.
Nov. 2	UNCG 58, Presbyterian 50	Greensboro, N.C.
Nov. 3	ETSU 73, West Florida 51	Johnson City, Tenn.
Nov. 2	South Florida 80, Furman 54	Tampa, Fla.
Nov. 2	NC State 80, Wofford 50	Raleigh, N.C.
Nov. 2	Butler 108, Tennessee Tech 71	Indianapolis

Samford Sets Two School Records

Samford beat Montevallo 102-42 and set school single-game records with 19 3-pointers and 30 assists, according to Samford Athletics. Natalie Barnes and Kaylee Yarbrough scored 18 each. Briana Rivera and Kayte-Madison Bjornstad scored 15 apiece. All 10 Bulldogs scored.

Read our full recap of Samford's 102-42 win.

Hollifield Sisters Spark Western Carolina

Western Carolina beat Carolina University 96-31 at the Liston B. Ramsey Center. Ally Hollifield scored 25 points in 19 minutes. She shot 9-for-12, made five 3-pointers and had four steals. Hannah Moss added 17, and Kate Hollifield scored 12 with four 3-pointers. My'Asia Young had 10 points and 13 rebounds, and Ellie Richardson scored 10. The Catamounts scored 41 points off 29 turnovers. Carolina University shot 11-for-55.

Chattanooga and Mercer Lock In on Defense

Chattanooga beat UVA Wise 85-44 and blocked 10 shots. The Mocs outscored the Cavaliers 30-13 in the fourth quarter. Tatianna Stovall scored 15 points and Sarah Owona added 12. Lydia Ledford scored 10 off the bench. Gabbie Grooms had nine rebounds and four steals.

Mercer held North Greenville to 14-for-61 shooting in a 69-41 win. Maliyah Lofton scored 24 points off the bench on 9-for-12 shooting. Abigail Holtman had 12 points and 13 rebounds.

UNCG and ETSU Pull Away

UNCG beat Presbyterian 58-50. The Spartans led 35-14 at halftime, then held on after Presbyterian won the third quarter 19-8. Gloria Tony scored 17 points. Kristina Rakotobe had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Leyla Minor blocked four shots.

ETSU beat West Florida 73-51 at Freedom Hall. The Buccaneers broke the game open with a 28-11 third quarter. Emmah McAmis scored 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting. Anala Nelson added 12, and Daniela López and Lucia France scored 10 each. France also had nine rebounds and four blocks.

Three Road Losses

Furman lost 80-54 at South Florida after falling behind 27-12 in the first quarter. Clare Coyle scored 15 points and Alyssa Ervin added 14.

Wofford lost 80-50 at NC State. Gabby Mundy scored 22 points with four 3-pointers. Mearah Whitehead added nine. Zoe Brooks led NC State with 23.

Tennessee Tech lost 108-71 at Butler in its first game as a SoCon member. Karson Martin scored 25 points. LaReesha Cawthorn had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Savannah Davis scored 11, and Morgan Sieper added 10.

What's Next

Chattanooga plays at Western Kentucky on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Furman hosts Erskine at 5 p.m. ET the same day.

On Thursday, Nov. 5, Samford plays at Georgia Tech at 7 p.m. ET. Mercer hosts Georgia Southern, UNCG hosts Columbia College, ETSU plays at Clemson and Wofford hosts King (ESPN+), all at 7 p.m. ET. Western Carolina hosts West Florida at 6 p.m. ET.