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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- In its final non-conference contest of the 2013-14 season, the Samford University basketball team overcame a 10-point first-half deficit Monday against the Presbyterian College Blue Hose and charged back for a definitive 71-59 home triumph held at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
"We had to come out and play hard and play tough defensively in the second half," said Samford head coach Bennie Seltzer. "Presbyterian is a good basketball team, especially offensively, and Jordan Downing is one of the best scorers that we've faced all season. He can flat-out score the basketball and I thought we did a good job on him in the second half."
 
Samford (6-9) received a career-high 31 points from sophomore forward Tim Williams, who finished an impressive 14-of-16 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from the free-throw line.
 
Williams entered Monday's game ranked No. 33 in the nation in field-goal percentage at 59 percent on the season. Following the victory over Presbyterian (4-10), the Bulldogs' preseason All-Southern Conference selection improved his shooting percentage to 62 percent from the floor. Williams leads Samford in both points per game (17.2) and rebounds per contest (6.9) in 2013-14.
 
"Tim is such a talented player," Seltzer said. "When he's aggressive, we're a pretty good team. He's a very steady, consistent guy, so 14-of-16 from the field doesn't really surprise anybody in our locker room."
 
The Bulldogs have been victorious in five of their last eight games and are now 5-1 at home this season. On Thursday, Samford will begin play in its 2014 SoCon schedule at 7 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs square off against the Wofford Terriers.
 
Presbyterian knocked down four 3-point baskets in the opening 11:13 of the game and garnered a 27-17 advantage with 7:54 remaining in the first half.
 
Williams then scored 11-consecutive points for the Bulldogs as Samford trimmed the Blue Hose's lead to 29-28 at the 4:16 mark. In the final minutes of the opening period, Presbyterian's Reggie Dillard scored five straight points, but the Bulldogs closed out the half in stellar fashion as sophomore point guard Russell Wilson raced the length of the floor in just six seconds to score a final layup at the buzzer.
 
Samford trailed the Blue Hose by just three points at the intermission despite shooting 0-for-4 from 3-point range in the opening half. Presbyterian knocked down 5-of-7 three-pointers in the first period to tally 15 points from beyond the arc.
 
"Defensively, our guys came together and buckled down in the second half," said Seltzer. "I wasn't too pleased with all of the offensive rebounds that we allowed in the game, but we seemed to get that turned around late."
 
In Monday's second half, Samford held the lead for a predominant portion of the action, but the Blue Hose kept clawing back to make it a one-point game.
 
Midway through the final half, Connor Miller drained a crucial 3-point basket, Chris Longoria scored five-straight points and Williams added a pair of layups to give the Bulldogs a nine-point advantage, 66-57, with 3:35 left to play. Samford would eventually add to its decisive lead in the final minutes to win by a sizable 71-59 margin.
 
With Monday's victory, the Bulldogs improved to 2-0 all-time against Presbyterian.
 
Samford outscored the Blue Hose, 46-16, in the paint and took advantage of a 17-5 lead in bench scoring. The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 57.1 percent from the field, but only 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from 3-point range. Presbyterian turned in a 42.6 shooting percentage and a 40-percent mark (8-of-20) from beyond the arc.
 
"We've really been focused on getting the ball to the paint," Seltzer said. "That's been one of our key points since I arrived here at Samford and it really worked out well for us tonight."
 
Along with Williams' 31 points and seven rebounds, Samford's Connor Miller tallied 11 points, four boards and an assist.
 
Additionally, the Bulldogs' Tyler Hood, Longoria, Wilson and Jordan Capps all added six points apiece. Hood chipped in with three rebounds on 3-of-4 shooting, while Longoria finished with four assists and three steals.
 
Capps, Samford's high-flying true freshman from Suwanee, Ga., turned in one of the best games of his young, up-and-coming career as he registered six rebounds and a career-high six assists. He also grabbed a pair of steals and finished 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.
 
Junior Raijon Kelly didn't score Monday, but chipped in with six key assists.
 
Presbyterian's Dillard paced his squad with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field, while Jordan Downing turned in a solid all-around game with 18 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal.
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs begin play in their 2014 Southern Conference schedule at home against the Wofford Terriers in a key league opener to be held at the Pete Hanna Center.

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