BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University basketball team shot 54.4 percent from the field and scored 52 of its 90 points in the paint Tuesday as the Bulldogs breezed to a 90-52 exhibition victory against the Miles College Golden Bears in a cross-town rivalry contest held at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
"I thought we did some really good things tonight," said Samford head coach Bennie Seltzer. "We're trying to play at a tempo that is a little bit faster than what we played last year. With that, we're going to have some turnovers and mistakes, but we only had 10 turnovers tonight, which is not bad. Some of them were unforced, but we're trying to play at a different speed and a different style of basketball."
 
Samford's Tim Williams led all players in both scoring and rebounding Tuesday. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-8 forward from Chicago, Ill., who was named the 2013 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double.
 
Junior sharpshooter Connor Miller added 18 points, five assists and a trio of rebounds in only 23 minutes of action. The Bulldogs' native of Stanley, Wis., turned in a solid 8-of-14 shooting performance from the field and drained a pair of 3-point baskets.
 
Samford finished with 14 players earning game action Tuesday, with 11 scoring at least two points against Miles College. Juniors Tyler Hood and Michael Bradley both finished with nine points apiece, while First-Team All-SoCon performer Raijon Kelly and Isaiah Williams scored eight each.
 
Williams, the Bulldogs' true freshman point guard from Buford, Ga., logged a team-high 24 minutes and handed out a game-high seven assists. He also shot 4-of-7 from the field, grabbed three rebounds and finished with two steals.
 
Sophomore Russell Wilson started at point guard for Samford and finished with five points, three assists and a rebound in 19 minutes of playing time. True freshmen Brandon Roberts and Jordan Capps both added four points apiece.
 
"I was pleased overall, but there are still some things that we need to get better at," Seltzer said. "We were terrible on our free throws tonight and we can't do that. We are about to embark on a very difficult road stretch and so free throws is where we need to be really good. That's something that we definitely need to work on."
 
Samford only shot 39.1 percent (9-of-23) from the free-throw line Tuesday, while Miles College turned in a dismal 11.8-percent (2-of-17) performance from beyond the arc.
 
The Bulldogs outscored Miles College, 52-31, in points in the paint, while also dominating fast-break points, 20-7. Samford only committed 10 turnovers, while the Golden Bears finished with 18.
 
Samford jumped out to an early 28-4 lead and took a decisive 47-22 lead into the half. The Bulldogs led Tuesday's game wire-to-wire and held its biggest advantage of the night, 80-39, with 7:32 left to play.
 
"For the most part, I thought we played well defensively," said Seltzer. "I thought we fouled them a little too much in the second half, but this was our first game and we have a lot of young guys on the roster. I was very pleased with how we played overall."
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs begin their regular-season schedule at home against the Martin Methodist Redhawks. The game will be held at the Pete Hanna Center.