Southern closes on a 14-2 run to beat Samford 65-53 in the women's First Four

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Jaylia Reed scored 16 points, DeMya Porter had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Southern closed the game on a 14-2 run to beat fellow No. 16 seed Samford 65-53 on Thursday night in the NCAA Tournament.

Southern (20-13) won a game in the First Four for the second straight season, earning a chance to play top-seeded South Carolina on Saturday in the Round of 64. It's the Jaguars’ third appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the last four years.

D’Shantae Edwards began the fourth quarter by converting a three-point play to give Southern a 47-44 lead. Samford tied it twice in the next three minutes, but could not get any closer.

Reed put Southern ahead for good with 6:47 remaining on a 3-pointer to begin the game-closing run. Six different Jaguars scored during the run.

Samford missed eight of its last nine field goals.

Jocelyn Tate added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Southern, which had nine of its 13 steals in the first half. The Jaguars finished with 20 points off turnovers.

Briana Rivera led Samford (16-19) with 16 points and freshman Kaylee Yarbrough added 11 off the bench. The Bulldogs were making their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Both teams shot 31% from the floor in the first half, with 17 combined turnovers and Southern leading 27-24. No player had more than six points at the break.

Samford faces the high-octane Gamecock offense ranked fourth in the nation at 86.3 points per game. South Carolina enters its 22nd NCAA Tournament with its 14th-consecutive appearance at the event.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness