BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UNCG women's basketball (4-13, 3-7) gave top-ranked Samford (10-7, 7-1) all it could handle on Thursday night, nearly handing the Bulldogs their first home loss since early December. The Spartans hung around all night in a 46-42 loss, keeping a squad that averaged over 70 points a game coming into the night, to under 50. Senior guard Pernilla Sorensen led all Spartan shooters with 13 points, while Khalis Cain's 10 and nine rebounds left her just short of her third double-double of the season. 

The Spartans were clearly the more ready of the two sides coming into Thursday, riding some high-energy plays into a 10-2 lead in the opening four minutes. Freshman Cain scored the first two baskets of the night, while pulling down five boards in the opening 10 minutes. A pair of back-to-back threes from Sorensen gave the Spartans their early eight-point advantage, as the Bulldogs' work on the boards were the only thing keeping the home team in range of UNCG.

The Spartans held Samford to just a 3-for-19 (15.8%) during the opening period, but the home team's second-chance opportunities gave the visitors just a 10-7 advantage going into the second. 

Samford opened up the second quarter on a 16-2 to take its first lead of the night. A third Sorensen three-ball helped to keep UNCG within striking range, but the Spartans would muster just nine points during the second period.

The final 20 minutes were a grudge match, as UNCG slowly chipped away at the 27-19 Bulldog lead. After getting beaten on the glass for most of the contest, the Spartans punched back at the start of the second half, pulling down 14 rebounds to Samford's four in the third quarter. Cain continued to present a problem for the Samford defense, drawing a pair of fouls and scoring four of her six points in the third from the three-point line. 

CeCe Crudup found her touch in the second half, pouring in six of her 12 points on the night during the third quarter alone. She added another four points in the fourth, as the Bulldogs seemed unable to shake the looming Spartans.

The hosts' lead increased to as much as seven in the fourth, but the Spartans continually fought to get back within one or two possessions. Trailing 42-35 with just over four remaining, senior guard Tori Powell nailed her first three of the night, before finding Sorensen on the backdoor in the following possession to make it a two-point contest. 

With limited time remaining, UNCG was forced to rely on some missed foul shots in order to retake the lead, but the Bulldogs were non-compliant, going 4-of-4 from the charity stripe in the final 90 seconds. Time ultimately ran out for the Spartans' comeback as Samford finished on top by a final of 46-42, remaining at the front of the current SoCon standings.

>> Cain and Lilian Izundu each had a pair of blocks in Thursday night's loss, while Powell and Sorensen each had one themselves. The Spartans' six blocks as a team were a season-high
>> Scoring 18.5 points per contest, and 22.9 against SoCon opponents, the Spartan defense held conference leading scorer Andrea Cournoyer to just eight points on the night. The Bulldogs' 46 points are the second-lowest they've scored all season. The only team to hold them to less was No. 17 Indiana

COMING UP NEXT
UNCG will rematch with the Bulldogs on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET, looking to split their third straight SoCon series with a win. 

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