BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The nine blocks recorded by UNCG women's basketball (4-14, 2-7) against Samford (11-7, 8-1) on Saturday afternoon came just two shy of tying a program-best, as the Spartans fell to their hosts by a final of 70-44. Three UNCG ballplayers tied or bettered their career-high in rejections, with their combined block total tying for third in program history and standing as the most they've recorded in a single game in four calendar years.

Not unlike this past Thursday, the Spartans were the team that hit the floor ready as the visiting side opened up a 9-2 lead. While UNCG allowed their opponents to eat into their lead it wasn't because of the defensive effort on the floor, with the Spartans combining for four blocks in the first quarter. Three of those rejections came from Lilian Izundu who checked in with under four remaining in the period, and proceeded to deny any Samford attempts at scoring while recording a personal best in her first four minutes on the floor. 

Trailing 13-8 going in the second quarter, the Bulldogs wasted no time catching back up, hitting on their first three trips up the floor for their first lead of the afternoon. Possession changed hands five times during that period however, as both sides continued to make plays on the defensive side of the ball. The largest lead of the quarter was just a three-point advantage from the home team. Crudup limited that lead with a shot off the glass in the waning moments of the first half, making it 25-24 right before the buzzer sounded. 

She finished with eight points in the first half along with three boards and two steals. The senior guard was one of three Spartans to record blocks in the first half, bringing her team's total to five before the third quarter.

The Bulldogs struck early in the second half, scoring nine unanswered at the start of the third, eventually outscoring the Spartans 19-2 in the period. Khalis Cain provided a pair of rejections on the defensive end of the floor, as she combined with Crudup and Sorensen for four blocks in the quarter. 

The Spartans totaled nine swats by the start of the fourth, setting a new season-high for the program and tying the third-most the team has had in a single game all-time. Crudup and Cain added seven and five points respectively in the final period, but it wasn't enough to overcome what had become a sizable Bulldogs' lead. 

The Spartans outrebounded their opponents 13-9 in the final 10 minutes but were unable to get the stops needed to get back into what ended in a 70-44 Samford win.

>> Crudup finished with a team-high 17 points on the afternoon, hitting 6-of-12 from the floor, while adding five rebounds, two blocks and a pair of steals
>> Izundu's three rejections set a new career-high, while Crudup and Sorensen's two apiece tied personal bests
>> Cain was just a point shy of a double-double, pulling down 11 rebounds with nine points and two blocks. Six of those boards were on the offensive end, more than any two Samford players combined

COMING UP NEXT
The Spartans return home to host Furman for a pair of games on Thursday, February 11, and Saturday, February 13. UNCG leads the all-time series with the Paladins by just a single game, at 26-25, earning the two-game sweep against the side the previous year.

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