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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University basketball team opened its 2016-17 home schedule in dominant fashion Saturday as the Bulldogs rolled to a 93-65 victory against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats in a San Diego Classic contest held at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
"I thought we did a really good job of moving the ball today," said Samford head coach Scott Padgett. "We've really put an emphasis on that as of late, and tonight it showed that our guys were listening. We moved the ball around and guys got open shots. We were also a bigger team than them and did a very good job on the backboards. We won the rebound battle by 18 and I also thought this was a great game for a lot of our young guys to get some good experience."
 
On Sunday, Samford (3-2) will conclude its play in the 2016 San Diego Classic with a home matchup against Nicholls State (3-3). The Bulldogs currently own a 2-1 record in the five-team competition following wins against San Diego and Bethune-Cookman (2-5), and a hard-fought loss on the road at New Mexico State.
 
Samford finished with four players scoring in double figures Saturday. Sophomore center Wyatt Walker led the Bulldogs with 19 points and 15 rebounds in only 20 minutes of action. With his double-double against the Wildcats, Walker extended his streak to five to open the season.
 
Already this season, Walker, the reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week, is averaging 14.6 points and 14.2 rebounds per outing.
 
Alex Thompson, Samford's junior transfer from Auburn, tallied 17 points and seven rebounds Saturday in 23 minutes of playing time, while Demetrius Denzel-Dyson registered 14 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists. Denzel-Dyson, a junior transfer from UMass, is averaging 13.6 points per game and leads the team with a sizzling 46.2-percent mark from 3-point range.
 
Justin Hopkins, the Bulldogs' talented true freshman native of Huntsville, and prep star at J.O. Johnson High School, came off the bench to score 12 points in 17 minutes of action. He finished 4-of-7 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Hopkins also pulled down a pair of rebounds.
 
Samford true freshmen Josh Sharkey and James Boone dropped in eight points and seven points, respectively, against Bethune-Cookman. Sharkey led the team with seven assists and four steals, while Boone grabbed four rebounds and handed out a trio of assists.
 
The Bulldogs shot 47.8 percent from the field Saturday and scored 50 of their 93 points in the paint. Samford also outscored the Wildcats in points off the bench, 41-11.
 
Bethune-Cookman's Brandon Tabb led all scorers with 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field. He played all 40 minutes of the game and pulled down six rebounds.
 
Samford used an early 24-5 run in the first half to pull away from Bethune-Cookman. The Bulldogs led at the half, 51-27, and led by as many as 36 points multiple times in the second half.
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Sunday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs continue their brief two-game homestand with a pivotal matchup against the Nicholls State Colonels to be held in the Pete Hanna Center.
 
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