Dec. 30, 2000

Box Score

MISSOULA, Mont. - It may have been being 1,725 miles from Birmingham or the 20 degree weather in Missoula, Montana but the Bulldogs simply never warmed up in the consolation game of the Lady Griz Holiday Classic. Samford fell 63-54 to Robert Morris College at the University of Montana Saturday night.

The Bulldogs dropped their fifth-straight game in dropping to 2-9 on the season while Robert Morris ended a four-game losing streak to improve to 3-7 on the year.

The Colonials opened up a 5-5 game with a 14-0 run over a six minute stretch of the first half aided by back-to-back three pointers by Sarah Grazier who led all scorers with 20 points. Candice John added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Colonials. The Bulldogs battled back with a 15-4 run to draw to within 23-20 with 4:35 remaining in the half. Robert Morris finished the half scoring six of the final nine points to go into the locker room up 29-23.

Samford opened the second half with back-to-back baskets by "Noot" Pittman to pull to within two points at 29-27 and got to within one-point of the lead at 33-32 with 17:43 to play. Robert Morris answered with a 6-0 run to regain a seven-point advantage and the Bulldogs would not be able to get any closer than five-points the rest of the game.

Samford shot just 29 percent from the floor, six percent from three-point range, and for the second game in a row shot less than 50 percent from the free-throw line at 43 percent.

Robert Morris answered every Bulldog run with big three-point shots as the Colonials made 6-19 from beyond the arc. Grazier was 4-9 from three-point range.

The Bulldog's inside game accounted for 33 of their 54 points as Giovanni Price, Pittman, and Natalie McLendon each scored 11 points to led the Dogs. McLendon pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds to notch the first double-double of her career. Pittman grabbed 10 boards for her first double-double of the season and the third of her career. Rebounding was the one area of the game in which Samford held an advantage out-rebounding Robert Morris 56-49.

Samford will return to Birmingham to celebrate the New Year before traveling to Troy State on Jan. 4, 2001 in resume Trans America Athletic Conference play. The Bulldogs and Trojans will do battle in a 7:00 p.m. game at Trojan Arena.