Box Score BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford University basketball team shot a season-high 65.9 percent from the field Saturday and forced The Citadel into 20 turnovers as the Bulldogs cruised to a 79-67 victory in front of 2,342 red-clad fans at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
“We made shots, we shared the basketball and for the most part we defended,” said Samford head coach Bennie Seltzer. “We keep a stat called kills, which is three stops in a row, and we finished with six of those tonight. The statistics show that when you reach seven in a game, you're almost guaranteed to win. We finished with six tonight and it showed in the score.”
 
With Saturday's win, Samford (8-16, 6-5 Southern Conference) completed its season sweep of The Citadel (6-17, 3-9 SoCon) and moved to 4-7 in the all-time series. On Jan. 12, the Bulldogs earned a hard-fought 69-65 triumph over the Cadets at McAlister Fieldhouse in Charleston, S.C. Samford's win at The Citadel was its first at McAlister Fieldhouse in school history.
 
The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 20-8 lead Saturday and never looked back. Samford shot a sizzling 68 percent from the field in the first half and garnered a 48-32 advantage at the intermission.
 
Early in the second period, The Citadel used a minor rally to trim the Bulldogs' advantage to 57-47 with 14:53 to play, but Samford then went on a decisive 16-2 run midway through the half to put the contest out of reach, 73-49. During the Bulldogs' streak, Clide Geffrard, Jr., drained a pair of deep 3-pointers, Tyler Hood scored seven points and Raijon Kelly dropped in a 3-pointer.
 
Hood, Samford's 6-foot-6 sophomore from Lenoir City, Tenn., tallied a season-high 19 points to lead all scorers Saturday. The Bulldogs' hard-nosed forward also finished 8-of-11 from the field and added five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.
 
“Tyler played really well tonight,” Seltzer said. “He's coming back from an injury and it was huge that he finished with 19 points and five rebounds. That's what we need to have from him, because he's one of our older guys on the team. His responsibility is to play his role and he'll have to score for us. He'll also have to rebound for us and I'm very proud of his effort.”
 
Samford concluded the victory with four players scoring in double figures. True freshman Tim Williams and Kelly both chipped in with 17 points each, while Geffrard, Jr., overcame some early foul trouble to register 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor. The Bulldogs also received five points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals from sophomore guard Connor Miller.
 
“The Citadel was catching us as soon as we came over the top in the post, so that caused us to foul a bit more early in the game,” Seltzer said. “Plus, they have some big guys down there in the post and we wanted to be more physical. That's why we got into a little bit of foul trouble in the first half and we need to make sure that we do a better job with that in the future.”
 
Russell Wilson, who is affectionately known as “The Sheriff” because he locks up his offensive opponent, turned in one of his best games of the season Saturday. The Bulldogs' true freshman from Lake Wales, Fla., provided a spark off the bench with eight points, five assists, two rebounds and a pair of steals.
 
“Russell is an energy guy and that's his skill,” Seltzer said. “You have some guys that are shooters and some guys that are great passers, and Russell's skill is his energy and how hard he plays. When Russell comes into the game, his energy and intensity helps everybody on the floor, because of how hard he plays.”
 
The Citadel finished with three players scoring in double figures and was paced by Mike Groselle and Janeil Jenkins with 13 points apiece. The pair combined to score 14 of its 26 points from the free-throw line. The Cadets' Matt Van Scyoc chipped in with 10 points and two rebounds, while P.J. Horgan and Marshall Harris III added eight points each.
 
In a well-played SoCon contest that saw each team shoot over 48 percent from the field, both Samford and The Citadel finished with 19 rebounds apiece. The Bulldogs outscored the Cadets, 30-18, in the paint and tallied 20 assists on 29 field goals.
 
“Tonight was just a result of sharing the basketball,” said Seltzer. “We had 20 assists on 29 baskets and when you do that a lot of guys will score points. That's what our offense is supposed to look like. Of course you want to make every shot that you take, but that's the idea. Our guys have to be aggressive and I think they did a good job of that tonight.”
 
Samford's 65.9 shooting percentage was its best of the 2012-13 campaign, as was its 79 points scored. In their best scoring output of the Seltzer Era Saturday, the Bulldogs topped their previous high mark of the season; 75 points at UT Martin on Dec. 19. Samford's shooting total was also its best since facing UT Martin when the Bulldogs finished at 56.5 percent.
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Monday at 6:30 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs travel to Chattanooga, Tenn., for a momentous SoCon North Division contest against the Chattanooga Mocs to be held in The McKenzie Arena.