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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University basketball team rallied from six points down late in regulation to tie the game at 62-62 and shoot its way to a 76-70 overtime victory against the Jacksonville Dolphins on Monday in a key non-conference contest held at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
"I told the guys in the locker room that if every home game is going to be like this, then I'm going to be bald and need triple bypass surgery, but I'd be happy to go 14-0 at home if every one of those games is like this," said Samford head coach Scott Padgett. "It took longer than we hoped for, but this was one of those games where what we preach of wearing the opponents down, definitely worked in our favor tonight,"
 
With the win, Samford (3-5) improved to 2-0 when playing at home this season and evened its all-time series against Jacksonville (2-6) at 9-9.
 
The Bulldogs trailed the Dolphins for a majority of the game and found themselves behind 61-55 at the 4:48 mark following a 3-point basket from Andris Misters.
 
Samford then reeled off a jump hook from Michael Bradley, free throws from Christen Cunningham and Evan Taylor, as well as a driving 3-point play from Darius Jones-Gibson to give the Bulldogs just their second lead of the half with 44 seconds remaining, 62-61.
 
"I couldn't be prouder of our guys and how they played down the stretch," Padgett said. "From the four-minute mark until the end of the game, we executed extremely well and were able to get stops when we needed them."
 
Jacksonville's Marcel White then hit the first of a pair of free throws to even the score at 62-62. On his second attempt, White missed badly, but the rebound bounced directly back to him at the free-throw line to give the Dolphins the ball and a chance to win with just 26 seconds remaining.
 
On its final possession of regulation, Jacksonville's Kori Babineaux drove the right side of the lane, but dragged his pivot foot and traveled to turn the ball over to Samford.
 
The Bulldogs' Cunningham then drove coast to coast with five seconds left in the second half, but his possible game-winning jumper hit the front rim as the teams went to overtime knotted at 62-62.
 
In the extra frame, Samford quickly jumped out to its biggest lead of the contest, 70-63, behind a layup from Jones-Gibson and crucial 3-point baskets from both Evan Taylor and Tyler Hood. The Bulldogs continued to hit their free throws down the stretch and eventually tallied the 76-70 victory over the Dolphins.
 
"At the end of the game, I ran the same play for Darius that had worked earlier, because I just had a feeling that he would be able to beat whoever they had guarding him once they switched on the pick," Padgett said. "He beat his defender both times and really used good explosiveness to quickly get through the lane and up to the rim."
 
Samford's Jones-Gibson led the team with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and finished 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. He also pulled down a rebound and handed out an assist in 28 minutes of playing time.
 
"Darius played extremely well tonight and did exactly what I thought he would," said Padgett. "He was able to get to the rim and finish his drives and that was big for our offense."
 
Hood, the Bulldogs' senior forward from Lenoir City, Tennessee, dropped in 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and also added six rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot. Taylor came off the bench to register his best game of the season with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and three rebounds.
 
"I thought that Evan came out and played a really good game tonight," said Padgett. "We missed him the other night at Louisiana Tech, but he came out strong and really proved to be both defensive and rebound-minded. I told him that once that happens, the points will come. He's our best on-ball defender, he's strong and he's extremely quick."
 
Rounding out Samford's scoring were Bradley (9), Cunningham (9), Brandon Roberts (6) and Nnamdi Enechionyia (5).
 
The Bulldogs shot 50 percent from the field, 42.9 from 3-point range and outscored Jacksonville, 36-20, in the paint. Samford's bench also bested the Dolphins' reserves, 20-9.
 
Jacksonville's Misters paced his squad with 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor. He also connected on a game-high four 3-point baskets and went a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. The Dolphins' Babineaux chipped in with 12 points and five assists, while J.R. Holder scored 11.
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Thursday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs begin Southern Conference play at home against the VMI Keydets in a crucial early-league contest to be held at the Pete Hanna Center.

Box Score
Samford Stats