Box Score
Updated Stats

ST. LOUIS -- The Samford University basketball team picked up its biggest road victory of the 2016-17 season Tuesday as the Bulldogs built an early 15-point, first-half lead against the Saint Louis Billikens and then hung on late for a 68-64 non-conference triumph held at Chaiffetz Arena.
 
With the win, Samford (4-3) improved to 3-2 on the road this season and defeated Saint Louis (2-4) for the first time in school history.
 
The Bulldogs will next be in action Sunday at 3 p.m. (CST) as they return home to Birmingham, Alabama, for a highly-anticipated, in-state duel against Jacksonville State. The matchup will be held at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
On Tuesday, Samford's Alex Thompson led all scorers with 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. The Bulldogs' junior forward also pulled down six rebounds and finished a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Thompson is now averaging 10.9 points per game this season.
 
Wyatt Walker, Samford's imposing 6-foot-9 center from Jacksonville, Florida, registered his seventh straight double-double to open the 2016-17 campaign Tuesday. Walker leads the nation in double-doubles and entered the game ranked No. 2 in the country with 13.5 rebounds per contest.
 
Against the Billikens on Tuesday, the Bulldogs' Walker notched 15 points and 11 rebounds, and came through with a number of clutch plays down the stretch.
 
Samford built a 15-point lead, 39-24, with 1:24 remaining to play in the first half and took a 39-28 advantage into the locker room.
 
Saint Louis opened the second half with a 19-8 run and trimmed the Bulldogs' advantage to 47-45 at the 13-minute mark in the final period.
 
Samford would later build its lead back to eight points with 6:24 left to play in the game, but the Billikens rallied to make it a one-point advantage, 61-60, following a driving layup from Jalen Johnson.
 
Down the stretch, the Bulldogs used a big-time bucket from Demetrius Denzel-Dyson and free throws from Thompson, Walker and Christen Cunningham to hold off the pesky Saint Louis squad, 68-64.
 
Denzel-Dyson, Samford's reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week, finished with 10 points and seven rebounds against the Billikens. He also added a steal in 31 minutes of playing time.
 
The Bulldogs' Cunningham and Josh Sharkey posted eight and seven assists, respectively.
 
Despite going 0-for-5 from long range in the second half, Samford turned in a 50-percent total (8-of-16) from beyond the arc Tuesday.
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Sunday at 3 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs return home to Birmingham, Alabama, for a key in-state contest against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. Sunday's matchup will be held at Samford's Pete Hanna Center.
 
For quick score updates, breaking news and links to all of your favorite articles featuring the Bulldogs, please follow @SamfordHoopsFOE and @Samford_Sports on Twitter.

Box Score
Updated Stats