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KENNESAW, Ga. -- The Samford University basketball team was outshot 60 percent to 33.3 percent Wednesday on the road against the Kennesaw State Owls as the Bulldogs only led for a total of six seconds in an 84-71 non-conference loss held at the KSU Convocation Center.
 
"Against UMKC on Sunday, we played aggressively on the defensive end with attention to detail for 40 minutes and we shared the ball," said Samford head coach Scott Padgett. "Today, we didn't play with any effort until there were only 10 minutes left in the game, and then it was too late, because we were already down by 20. We finished with eight assists today, which is embarrassing.
 
"The reason that this team will win, will be because of ridiculously hard effort and great communication on defense. We'll pay attention to the details of the scouting report, take advantage of our press and go down and make shots. There's no team on our schedule that we can't beat when we're playing with all of our effort, but how we played today, there's nobody on our schedule we can beat."
 
Samford (2-4), which played its fifth road game out of six total contests this season Wednesday, got off to a slow start against Kennesaw State (2-4). The Owls knocked down their first three 3-point baskets of the game and jumped out to a quick 9-1 lead.
 
"The No. 1 thing on our board was guard the 3-point line, and then they came out and the first three 3s were wide open and they made them all," Padgett said. "I knew on the first play, when Nigel Pruitt got the ball at the 3-point line and we closed out to him very softly, that we were going to be in trouble, because the locked-in team that we were against UMKC would have never let that happen."
 
Despite falling behind early, Samford battled back throughout the first half and eventually took the lead, 26-25, following a pair of free throws from sophomore guard Brandon Roberts. Roberts finished the game with 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field in 17 minutes of playing time.
 
Just six seconds after the Bulldogs garnered their lone advantage of the day, Kennesaw State's Nick Masterson answered with a 3-point basket regain the lead at 28-26 with 4:18 remaining in the opening half.
 
The Owls took a 35-30 advantage into the locker room and turned in a 51.9 percent shooting performance from the field.
 
Kennesaw State shot the ball even better in the second half and opened the final period with a 15-2 run. The Owls recorded a brilliant 69.6 shooting percentage in the second half and extended their lead to 54-34 with 11:13 remaining in the game.
 
Down the stretch, Samford cut Kennesaw State's lead to 67-56 at the 4:30 mark, but then the Owls were able to hold off the Bulldogs' late charge and earn an 84-71 victory in their home opener.
 
"Kennesaw State played a great game today," Padgett said. "They turned in a great shooting performance and held us to only 33 percent, which was very good, but this was a poor effort from our team and it was very disappointing."
 
Both teams finished with four players scoring in double figures Wednesday.
 
Kennesaw State's Pruitt led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, while Delbert Love and Yonel Brown both added 13, and Orlando Coleman finished with a double-double at 12 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Samford was paced offensively by freshman point guard Christen Cunningham's 16 points in 28 minutes of playing time. He also added three assists and three rebounds, but shot 5-of-15 from the floor.
 
Senior forward Tyler Hood added 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and pulled down a trio of rebounds. Sophomore guards Nnamdi Enechionyia and Roberts both finished with 13 points Wednesday. Enechionyia led Samford with four 3-point baskets, while Roberts scored all 13 of his points in 17 minutes.
 
In the first all-time matchup between the teams, Samford outnumbered Kennesaw State in second-chance points, 15-4, but the Owls outscored the Bulldogs, 42-27, in points in the paint.
 
Additionally, Samford bettered Kennesaw State in points off turnovers, 20-11, but ended up trailing the Owls in fast-break points, 16-7.
 
"This should be a soul-searching game for our team," Padgett said. "At this point, they should realize why they win and what effort it takes to win a Division I basketball game. Today, we brought nowhere near the effort that we needed to in order to win."
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Friday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs conclude their early-season, four-game road stretch against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs to be held at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, Louisiana.

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