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Postgame with Tooey Loy

Senior Ashlee' Samuels scored 13 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds to lead the High Point University women's basketball team to a 66-58 win over William & Mary Sunday afternoon at the Gator Holiday Classic in Gainesville, Fla.

“This was just a great overall team effort tonight,” said head coach Tooey Loy. “We played a really good basketball team tonight in William & Mary. With the exception of the teams from the ACC and SEC that was probably the best team we have played this season. We got down early in the second half but the girls just kept digging. We played great defense in the final 15 minutes and Ashlee' just keyed us inside.”

Samuels, playing in the 100th game of her career, went 5-9 from the floor to finish with a season-high 13 points and her 15 rebounds is tied for the fourth most in a single game in HPU Division I history. Samuels bested her old career high of 14 rebounds which she set just three games earlier against Campbell.

“Ashlee' played just a great game,” said Loy. “In the Longwood game she had two early fouls and we pulled her out and didn't play her until the second half. We decided tonight that regardless if she got early fouls or not we were going to just play her and she responded. She was a difference maker for us tonight.”

With the game tied, 8-8 after five minutes of play, HPU used an 11-4 run to slowly pull away from William & Mary, taking a 19-12 lead midway through the first half. The Panthers did much of their damage from the free throw line, going 5-6 from the stripe during the run.

William & Mary called timeout and responded with an 11-0 run out of the break to claim a 23-19 lead. Tiffany Benson scored five points during the run for the Tribe. A three by junior LaTeisha Dean ended the Panthers scoreless streak and pulled High Point to within one, 23-22 as the game settled back into a tight battle.

After five ties in the final five minutes of the half it was William and Mary that took 31-30 lead into the locker room thanks to a free throw by The Tribe's Taysha Pie with 29 seconds left in the opening period. HPU had a chance to take the lead but a three by junior Mackenzie Maier bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

Dean and junior Jurica Hargraves each finished the first half with five points to lead the Panthers while Benson led all scorers with 11 points for the Tribe.

William & Mary opened the second half on a 10-2 run, taking a 41-32 lead and forcing a timeout by the Panthers just three minutes into the second period. HPU shot just 1-5 to start the second half while the Tribe went 3-6 from the field and 2-4 from the line.

Down nine, the Panthers slowly began to cut into the William & Mary lead and with just over 11 minutes left in the game, a three pointer by Hargraves moved High Point back into the lead, 47-46. Six different Panther players scored during the comeback with junior Amy Dodd, Samuels and Hargraves each contributing three points.

William & Mary briefly reclaimed the lead with a three pointer by Janine Aldridge, but freshman Jazmin Cromartie hit a jumper in the paint at the other end to tie the game at 49-49 and start an 8-2 run over the next six minutes which gave HPU a 55-51 lead with less than four minutes to go in the game.

A baseline layup by William & Mary cut the lead to 2, 55-53, but the Panthers responded with a layup by Samuels and two free throws each by Dodd and junior Frances Fields to take an eight point lead, 61-53, with just one minute remaining in the game.

The Tribe scored five points in the final minute while trying to come back but HPU's Maier iced the game from the free-throw line, sinking five of six from the stripe down the stretch.

After allowing William & Mary to hit three early shots to open the second half, the High Point defense tightened up holding the Tribe to just 25 percent shooting (7-for-28) for the remainder of the game.

Dodd and Maier each had nine points and six rebounds for the Panthers who improve to 5-6 with the win. Benson finished with a double-double for the Tribe, scoring 14 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.

High Point returns to the court in Gainesville, Fla., on Monday, Dec. 21, to play Florida in the championship game of the Gator Holiday Classic. Tip off at the Stephen O'Connell Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.