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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University basketball team limited the nation's leading scoring squad to 18 points below its season average Tuesday as the Bulldogs battled to a decisive 94-74 home Southern Conference victory against The Citadel Bulldogs in a pivotal league matchup held at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
"I thought that early on in the game our defense was great," said Samford head coach Scott Padgett. "We held them to 17.2 percent shooting in the first half and I thought we did an outstanding job of never letting them get any easy penetration. We did a good job of putting a wall up inside the 3-point line and that stopped them from being able to drive and kick out to their 3-point shooters."
 
With the win, Samford (10-5, 1-1 SoCon) improved to 5-0 this season following a loss. The Bulldogs were defeated on the road at Mercer on Saturday, 69-50, but have been masters of the bounce-back throughout the 2015-16 season. So far, Samford has earned victories against Auburn-Montgomery, Jacksonville State, Florida A&M, Nebraska and The Citadel (7-8, 0-2 SoCon) in games following a defeat.
 
The Bulldogs opened Tuesday's contest with an 11-0 lead as Samford's defensive scheme quickly sterilized The Citadel's fast-paced, run-and-gun style. The Cadets have been used to getting quick, easy 3-point attempts once crossing midcourt this season, but the Bulldogs made sure to get a hand in the face of every shot attempt, especially in the early-going.
 
The Citadel opened the game shooting 0-for-14 from the field as Samford upped its lead to 19-2 at the 12:02 mark in the first half.
 
The Bulldogs limited the Cadets to 17.2 percent shooting in the opening period, while Samford blistered the nets for a 58.2 percent mark.
 
Samford built a 49-24 lead at the intermission.
 
On Tuesday, the Bulldogs finished with six players scoring in double figures for the first time this season. Senior guard Darius Jones-Gibson led the way with 26 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. Samford's dynamic native of Lexington, Kentucky, also added nine assists, six rebounds and finished a near-perfect 12-of-13 from the free-throw line.
 
Fellow-senior Marcus Johnson came off the bench to score 13 points, while adding four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Johnson also knocked down two of the Bulldogs' five 3-point baskets on the evening.
 
Samford's Jamal Shabazz turned in his second straight double-digit scoring performance Tuesday by tallying 11 points, eight rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. The Bulldogs' Wyatt Walker, Christen Cunningham and Alex Peters all finished with 10 points apiece.
 
As a team, Samford outscored The Citadel, 54-26, in the paint and 30-15 off turnovers. Additionally, the Bulldogs concluded Tuesday's victory shooting a season-high 58.2 percent from the field. Samford's shooting total surpassed its previous season-best of 57.7 percent, which was achieved at Florida A&M on Dec. 12.
 
Early in the second half, The Citadel embarked on a brief 22-9 run to open the period, but the Cadets never came within 10 points of Samford in the final 20 minutes of action.
 
"In the second half, I honestly thought we got a little tired," said Padgett. "They made a run early in the half, but then we did a great job of responding with a run of our own. I also thought our offense was really good. We shot 60 percent in the first half and that's a great total for any team. We also did a good job of sharing the ball and those assist numbers were right where we love them to be."
 
Samford held an 89-65 advantage in the game before clearing its bench with 44 seconds remaining to play.
 
The Citadel, which came into Tuesday's game averaging a nation's best 92 points per outing this season, was limited to 74 points and a 33.3-percent shooting mark from the field. Samford finished with 23 assists on 32 made field goals for a 71.9 percentage.
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Saturday at 1 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs begin a two-game, four-day road trip against the Wofford Terriers. The contest will be held at Wofford's Johnson Arena located in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
 
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