ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Kaylee Yarbrough scored 25 points, Francie Morris added 22, and their 3-point shooting was instrumental in sixth-seeded Samford's 72-67 victory over top-seed Chattanooga in the championship game of the Southern Conference tournament Sunday.
Samford advanced to the NCAA tournament for the third time, the other appearances coming in 2011 and 2012.
Samford's three-game SoCon tournament run included victories over Chattanooga, ETSU and Wofford -- the three teams that tied for first place in the regular season. The Bulldogs, 16-18 this season, are the 12th team to qualify for the NCAA tournament with a losing record.
Yarbrough, a part-time starter during her freshman season, came off the bench to make 5 of 7 3-pointers and Morris made 3 of 6. Samford averages 26 3-point attempts and 8.4 made 3s per game. The Bulldogs made 10 of 17 on Sunday.
Samford took a 54-43 lead to the fourth quarter and saw the margin cut to two points when Chattanooga's Izzy McPherson buried three 3-pointers in a two-minute stretch, making it 60-58 with 5½ minutes left.
Although the Mocs made only two shots the rest of the game, they had a chance to tie in the final minute. Caia Elisaldez made two free throws to make it 70-67 with 29 seconds left and her steal a few seconds later gave the Mocs a shot at overtime. Kalifa Ford missed from 3-point distance with eight seconds left, Samford rebounded, and Briana Rivera made two free throws to close it out.
Elisaldez scored 20 points and McPherson 17 for Chattanooga (20-10).
Sierra Godbolt scored 12 for Samford.
Chattanooga played in the SoCon Tournament title game for the 22nd time. The Mocs have played in the NCAA tournament 17 times.
