LAURINBURG — After surpassing the 1,000 career points mark at the end of January, St. Andrews University senior guard Samantha Ring notched another achievement on Wednesday: a senior night win in front of her friends and family.
Ring posted a team-high 14 points to lead the Lady Knights to a 77-61 win over Truett-McConnell College.
Ring, the team’s top perimeter threat, made four of her eight attempts from three-point range.
“It feels very good,” Ring said after the game. “It was a good team win.”
A Carthage native and Union Pines High School graduate, Ring has been a reliable scorer throughout her career at St. Andrews. Her freshman year was cut short after three games due to an injury, but she recovered and led the team in scoring as a sophomore (14.5 points per game). She upped that average to 15.9 points as a junior, the second-highest mark on the team. Ring is on pace to take the team’s scoring title again this season. She’s averaging 16.4 points per contest through 22 games.
A lot of those points have come from beyond the arc. As of Thursday, Ring has made 241 three-pointers in her time at St. Andrews. Her career mark from long range is 38.2%.
As much scoring as she’s done, Ring wasn’t paying particularly close to the 1,000-point milestone. But she felt accomplished when she hit that mark.
“I didn’t know that I was that high up there,” Ring said. “It was a nice surprise.”
Ring was the first Lady Knight to hit the 1,000-point mark since St. Andrews joined the NAIA.
Ring is one of St. Andrews’ four seniors. The others are Cierra Hampton, Yontyanna Melvin and Courtney Rowe.
Those players have been with the program through highs and lows over the past four years, and they have a chance to go out on a good note as the Lady Knights prepare for the final three games of the regular season.
“I’ve cherished all of the moments I’ve had here, both on the court with the team and in the classroom,” Ring said. “I’ve just had a really great experience. I’m blessed to be able to call myself a St. Andrews Knight.”
