Box Score
Updated StatsDENTON, Texas -- With nine seconds remaining in Monday's early-season matchup against the Troy Trojans, Samford's
Darius Jones-Gibson excelled under adversity and drained the game-winning 3-point basket from the left flank en route to the Bulldogs' 83-79 triumph against their in-state foes in the opening contest of the North Texas Showcase.
"It was a great time for Darius to hit his first 3-pointer of the season," said Samford head coach
Scott Padgett. "The play was actually supposed to go to either Marcus (Johnson) in the corner or Matt (Rose) on the far wing, but CC (
Christen Cunningham) confused Marcus a bit by not cutting through the lane, so he then didn't continue with the play. Luckily, Christen did a great job of driving and drawing the defense, then kicked it out to Darius."
Jones-Gibson, who was 0-for-6 from beyond the arc this season before his decisive shot, calmly gathered Cunningham's kick-out pass and connected on the biggest basket of the night. His 3-pointer broke open a 79-79 tie and gave Samford a three-point advantage.
On Troy's final possession, sophomore Wesley Person missed a possible game-tying 3-point shot from the top of the key. The Bulldogs'
Wyatt Walker grabbed the rebound, one of his game-high 12, a career-high total, and later knocked down a free throw to make the final score 83-79.
With the win,
Samford (3-1) extended its winning streak to three-consecutive games and defeated
Troy (2-2) for the first time since Dec. 1, 2001. The Bulldogs also moved to 17-18 all-time against the Trojans.
Troy jumped out to a quick 9-5 advantage early in the first half, but Samford caught fire from 3-point range and led by as many as 16 points, 41-25, following a put-back layup from Walker with 3:57 remaining in the period.
The Bulldogs shot a sizzling 60 percent from 3-point range in the first half and ended up taking a 44-35 lead into the locker room.
The Trojans switched to a full-court pressing zone in the second half and opened the period by scoring the first six points. After cutting Samford's lead to 46-39, Troy continued its pressure and eventually tied the score at 51-51 following a layup from Daniel Peace.
Down the stretch in the second half, the score was tied nine times and the lead changed hands seven times.
Samford finished with four players scoring in double figures with Jones-Gibson leading the way with 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field. Senior
Marcus Johnson and Cunningham both followed with 15 points apiece, while true freshman
Matt Rose scoring in double figures for a fourth straight time with 13.
Rose, the Bulldogs' highly-touted newcomer from Lexington Christian Academy, has scored in double figures in all four of his collegiate outings. Fellow freshman Walker nearly tallied the first double-double of his career by finishing with nine points and 12 rebounds. He also added a pair of blocked shots.
Despite surrendering its 16-point lead, Samford never lost heart and maintained a competitive advantage in Monday's game.
Troy built a 76-73 advantage with 3:52 remaining as the Bulldogs used a driving layup from Cunningham and a put-back dunk from Rose to even the score yet again at 77-77. The teams then traded buckets in the final minute of play to setup Jones-Gibson's heroics.
"I was proud of our guys tonight, because they never gave up and they never packed it in," Padgett said. "Last season, we jumped out to big leads against Wofford and Chattanooga, and a few other teams, but when they would make a run or come back in the game against us, we would get down and let it affect us. Tonight, they stood strong and found a way to win."
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs square off against the homestanding North Texas Mean Green in a pivotal non-conference showdown to be held at The Super Pit.
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