'Dogs' Defense Stymies Camels In Third Straight Win

Sunday, December 28

Birmingham, Ala.

1:00 PM

Samford University

6-8

Campbell University

6-7

Team	1	2	F
Campbell	23	33	56
Samford	28	37	65

Box Score Samford Stats

Senior Michael Bradley scores two of his 10 points against Campbell on Sunday. The Bulldogs' center also pulled down seven key rebounds.

12.28.14 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Samford improves to 4-1 at home this season

Box Score
Samford Stats

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University basketball team used a stifling defensive performance to extend its winning streak to three-consecutive games Sunday as the Bulldogs limited the Campbell Camels to just 38.6-percent shooting from the field en route to a 65-56 non-conference victory held at the Pete Hanna Center.

"I thought we did a great job of using an active zone defense to keep Campbell out of a rhythm," said Samford head coach Scott Padgett. "Campbell runs the Princeton offense and we honestly didn't want to guard it with our man-to-man. I'm proud of our guys, because I thought they gave it their all today and really played with some outstanding defensive intensity in this win."

Samford (6-8), which improved to 4-1 when playing at home this season, led by as many as 15 points midway through the second half, but had its lead trimmed to 60-56 by Campbell (6-7) with just 2:15 left in the game.

Following a 3-pointer from the top of the key off the hand of Troy Harper, the Camels battled back to within striking distance at the two-minute mark. Harper's 3-pointer capped off a Campbell 14-2 run and made the game interesting down the stretch.

"Our energy was great all game, except for that little stretch with about five minutes left in the second half," Padgett said. "We had a little lapse where we missed a couple free throws down on our end and we hung our heads. While we were doing that, they knocked down a couple of 3-pointers on their end, but we finished the game strong."

At 60-56, Samford's Michael Bradley answered with a key up-and-under layup to improve to 3-for-3 from the field Sunday. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-10 senior from Chattanooga, Tennessee, later salted the game away with a pair of free throws to make the final score, 65-56.

Bradley finished the win with 10 points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes of action. He didn't miss a single shot Sunday as he also registered a perfect 4-of-4 performance from the free-throw line.

"I thought Mike Bradley did a great job of rebounding today and down the stretch, he just did a great job of going up and getting some big-time rebounds for us," said Padgett. "Our winning identity as a team has to be 40 minutes of great defense, rebounding and sharing the ball.

"We had 15 assists today and that's three games in a row where we had at least 15 assists. Sharing the ball is such a big thing for us. Also, in our six wins this year, Michael Bradley is 15-of-15 from the field, so we just need him to make every shot that he takes."

Samford's Tyler Hood led the team with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, but was only 1-of-6 from beyond the arc. In a game-high 32 minutes of action, Hood added three rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot.

"Our guys did a great job of being patient and waiting for good shots against their matchup," said Padgett. "As a team, we shot 62.5 percent from the field and we pretty much were able to get the shots that we wanted. Of course, we would have liked to make more shots from 3-point range, but ultimately, we took the ball to the goal and connected on some easier baskets."

The Bulldogs' Darius Jones-Gibson dropped in 12 points and tallied three rebounds, two assists and a steal. He finished 4-of-6 from the field, but only 4-of-12 from the charity stripe.

The rust from the Christmas Holidays proved to be a factor for both teams from the line. As a team, Samford only shot 12-of-28 (46.4 percent) from the free-throw line, while Campbell turned in a 48.4 mark (15-of-31).

Samford outscored the Camels, 42-18, in the paint and out-rebounded Campbell, 32-25. Additionally, the Bulldogs led all of the following statistical categories as well: points off turnovers, 15-8, second-chance points, 10-5, and fast-break points, 10-9.

Neither team shot the ball well in the first half as Samford garnered a 28-23 advantage at the half.

In the second period, the Bulldogs' Brandon Roberts and Brandon Hayman both came off the bench to provide key sparks. Hayman scored eight quick points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field, while Roberts dropped in seven on 3-of-5 shooting from the floor. Neither player logged more than 14 minutes of action.

"Brandon Hayman had a great game and he's the kind of guy who's going to give you everything that he has when he's out there on the court," Padgett said. "He always finds a way to have a positive impact on the game. During the preseason, the guys fight to have him on their team, because they know that his team always wins. He just finds a way to make things happen."

Sunday's win marked Samford's third in a row as they also defeated Presbyterian and Louisiana-Monroe immediately before Christmas. The Bulldogs also improved their all-time record to 16-5 against Campbell.

The Camels had their three-game winning streak snapped. Heading into Sunday's contest, Campbell had been victorious in five of their last six outings.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Tuesday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs continue play in their five-game homestand against the Auburn-Montgomery Warhawks in an in-state battle to be held at the Pete Hanna Center.

Box Score
Samford Stats