Times wires
Sunday, March 20, 2011
AUBURN, Ala. — Samford wasn't used to seeing big, powerful players like Florida State's Cierra Bravard, and it showed.
The 6-foot-4 Bravard had 23 points and 13 rebounds and the Seminoles used brawn and smothering defense in rolling to a 76-46 win over Samford on Sunday in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament.
"I think we played a couple players on some teams that if you put them together would be her size," Bulldogs coach Mike Morris said of Bravard, a first-team All-ACC pick. "It's just hard to simulate that in practice."
Florida State (24-7) used superior size and strength to easily win its tournament opener for the seventh straight year.
"(The guards) were really focused on the team," Seminoles coach Sue Semrau said. "They didn't really care who gets the ball. They knew what side their bread was buttered on."
Samford (25-8), the Southern Conference tournament champion, was also mostly denied its staple, the 3-pointer, in its first NCAA appearance.
Courtney Ward, a native of nearby Montgomery, scored 13 and hit three 3-pointers in the first half for the third-seeded Seminoles. Chelsea Davis had 13 points in 13 minutes off the bench. Freshman Natasha Howard grabbed 10 rebounds to help Florida State forge a 52-23 advantage on the boards.
Bravard was 9-of-14 shooting and helped put 14th-seeded Samford post players Savannah Hill and J'Quita Babineaux in early foul trouble.
"My mind-set was just kind of, 'Don't be denied,' " Bravard said.
Added Ward: "Cierra is one of the best post players in the NCAA, and you can't miss her. If she's open, of course you're going to pass her the ball and she can pass it back out if not."
Emily London led Samford with 14 points, but was held in check by ACC defensive player of the year Christian Hunnicutt. Hill, Samford's No. 2 scorer, shot 1-of-11 for four points.
The Bulldogs came in ranked in the top five nationally in 3-point percentage, but scarcely got any good looks and went 5-of-19 behind the arc.
"I thought our players came out really focused and used our length," Semrau said.
London, whose 48 percent 3-point clip was second nationally, launched only one attempt in the first 35 minutes, and that came when Hunnicutt wasn't guarding her.
Ward's off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer gave FSU a 34-21 halftime lead.
The Seminoles next face No. 6 seed Georgia, a 56-41 winner over Middle Tennessee State, in Tuesday's second round.