EKU Stages Incredible Comeback Against Samford for Ninth Consecutive Victory!

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – With only nine players suited up, EKU women’s basketball rallies from a 12-point deficit, driven by two 20-point performances from Alice Recanati and Raphaela Toussaint, to triumph over Samford 81-66 on Sunday night at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
Thanks to this victory, EKU (10-3) wraps up its non-conference schedule with double-digit wins for the second year running, extending its winning streak to nine games – the longest for the program since 2005.
 
Recanati topped all scorers with a season-high 22 points, hitting 7-of-14 shots and going a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe.  She also contributed eight rebounds and four assists, marking her seventh career game with over 20 points.
 
In addition, Toussaint achieved a season-best 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, indicating her 52nd career game with double-digit scoring and her fifth game total of 20 or more points. 
 
Senior guard Althea Kara Angeles added 12 points, while senior forward Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor recorded 10 points and five rebounds in only 12 minutes due to foul issues.  Freshman forward Kailani Lindsey achieved a career-high 12 rebounds and nearly recorded a double-double with eight points.
 
EKU played with merely nine scholarship players in Sunday’s victory and utilized only two players from the bench.  The Colonels concluded their match against Samford shooting 49 percent from the field, going 16-for-20 from the free throw line, and collecting 40 rebounds for the seventh time this season.
 
At halftime, Samford (4-11) was ahead of the Colonels 43-38, shooting at 58.1 percent from the field, with five three-pointers made and 22 points scored in the paint. 
 
The Colonels adjusted their strategy after the break, overcoming their foul challenges and shooting deficiencies to outscore the Bulldogs 25-19 in the third quarter.  Toussaint had a run of scoring nine consecutive points across four possessions, and Liz Freihofer scored a layup to give EKU a 63-62 advantage heading into the final quarter.
 
In the closing period, EKU limited Samford to just four points, while the Colonels added 18 points through multiple scoring opportunities from Angeles, McGinnis-Taylor, and six successful free throws from Recanati.
 
Samford’s Kennedy Langham and Annie Ramil both delivered team-high performances with 13 points each, while 6-foot-5 forward Emily Bowman secured seven rebounds.
 
The Colonels are set to focus on Atlantic Sun Conference competition in the new year, starting with three consecutive away games, the first being against long-time rival Austin Peay on January 2 at 7 p.m. ET.  The game will be available for live streaming on ESPN+ or can be listened to on 92.5 WEKY.