DANVILLE, Va. — The outcome had long been decided, but senior Samm Chandler had everyone in the Grant Center on the edge of their seats entering the final minute of Averett University women's basketball's 101-66 win over William Peace University on Sunday.
Chandler was chasing history. She needed 35 points to tie and 36 points to break the program's all-time career scoring mark of 1,442 points held by Michelle Warner. With 3:35 to play, Chandler pulled within a point of the mark. But time was becoming her biggest opponent to set the record on her home court before Averett (7-5, 4-1 USA South) embarked on a three-game road trip.
Junior Alixis Roccia found Chandler, who dribbled and slipped to her knee, got up and put up a 3-pointer with 34 seconds to play. And with the help of a shooter's touch, the ball softly bounced on the front of the rim twice before falling through to give Chandler 1,444 career points — the new all-time scoring record for Averett women's basketball.
Averett head coach
Liz Hickey quickly called a timeout and Chandler was mauled my her teammates as they celebrated with her.
"It means a lot," Chandler said. "Coming into the game, I just wanted to get the win. It was important to me because I've worked hard the past four years, but I couldn't have done it without all of my teammates. I need everybody."
The new career scoring record capped off a record day for Chandler, whose two blocks also set a new career program record as well. With 92 career blocks, Chandler also passed Warner in that category, and her 16 rebounds against William Peace also moved her past Warner for sixth all-time on that career list.
The record-breaking basket gave Chandler 37 points — a new career-high — as she nearly recorded her second career triple-double. In addition to the 37 points and 16 rebounds, she had eight assists, four steals and two blocks.
Chandler's 21 points in the first half helped the Cougars build a double-digit lead on William Peace (2-7, 2-2 USA South) early in the second quarter. Chandler's layup in the final seconds of the second quarter put Averett ahead 53-24 at halftime.
Yet, Chandler wasn't the only Cougar having a great day. Junior Amani Ajayi scored 18 points and pulled down a career-best 17 rebounds as the Cougars built as much as a 37-point lead in the second half. Roccia added 12 points and sophomore Kiara Smith finished with 10 points off the bench as Averett won its fourth in a row.
Chandler entered the final quarter 10 points away from the record. Although she had some open looks, she passed to teammates for better looks multiple times. It appeared as though the record may have to wait a few days. Then Chandler knocked down a 3-pointer with 6:17 to play and the record got more within reach. She got back-to-back-to-back layups with 3:35 remaining to pull her within a point of matching Warner's mark.
"I really wasn't thinking about it," Chandler said. "I knew I was kind of close because I knew I had a good first half. But at the end of the day, it's a team game and I wanted everyone else to score too."
Averett outrebounded William Peace 66-27 despite a 30-point, 13-rebound effort from the Pacers' Mikayla Ray.
Averett rides the momentum into Wednesday's road game at Methodist University.
