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CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The Samford University basketball team earned its first Southern Conference road victory of the 2015-16 season Monday as the Bulldogs shot a sizzling 57.8 percent from the field and 7-of-13 from 3-point range en route to a 95-86 triumph over The Citadel Bulldogs held at McAlister Field House.
 
"We needed this win, but not only that, we needed a win in this way," said Samford head coach Scott Padgett. "This was a tough win. It was back and forth, it was nail-biting and we were able to pull it out. We needed this win for our guys' mentality to know that we can win in these kinds of circumstances. We've been so close in a lot of these games that it feels great to get a victory in this one tonight."
 
With the win, Samford (12-14, 3-10 SoCon) snapped its six-game losing streak and secured a season sweep in its annual home-and-home matchup with The Citadel (10-15, 3-9 SoCon). The Bulldogs tallied their first victory since Jan. 5, and improved to 5-8 on the road this season.
 
Monday's win proved to be Samford's first SoCon victory away from home this year. The Bulldogs are now 1-5 in road conference games this season and will continue their current three-game road swing Thursday at ETSU.
 
The Citadel suffered its third-consecutive loss and dropped to 10-6 all-time versus Samford.
 
"I thought our guards did a great job of handling the ball tonight," Padgett said. "They didn't turn the ball over and they made a lot of great decisions with their passes. We had 20 assists tonight, which is always great and is a very solid indicator in our victories this season. We also made our free throws down the stretch and that was huge as well."
 
Samford led by two at halftime Monday, 42-40, but The Citadel opened the second period with a quick 9-2 run and garnered a five-point advantage, 49-44, with 17:24 remaining in the game.
 
At that point, Padgett shifted his lineup a bit to match The Citadel's unorthodox five-guard strategy.
 
Padgett's changes worked as the Bulldogs immediately trimmed The Citadel's lead to zero following a 3-point basket from Matt Rose and a layup from Wyatt Walker.
 
Rose and Walker, Samford's talented true freshmen duo, combined to score 39 of the team's 95 points, including 30 in the second half. The Bulldogs' youngsters also pulled down a total of 14 rebounds and turned in a 17-of-25 shooting performance from the field.
 
Walker led Samford with 22 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the floor and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to notch his fourth career double-double. He also tallied a career-high five blocked shots and added a pair of steals.
 
Rose, the Bulldogs' 6-foot-7 forward from Lexington, Kentucky, finished a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point range and registered 17 points. Additionally, he notched three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
 
With 6:12 remaining in the game, The Citadel held a 70-66 lead over the Bulldogs. Samford then used a trio of huge 3-pointers from Rose and a driving fast-break layup from Christen Cunningham to take a 77-72 advantage in the contest.
 
Down the stretch, The Citadel would get no closer than six points, 87-81, with 55 seconds left to play. Samford continued to gash the Cadets' full-court defensive pressure in the waning ticks of the clock and built its final advantage, 95-86.
 
"I abandoned all plays in the final seven minutes of the game," said Padgett. "They were having a hard time guarding Matt Rose on our side pick-and-roll action, so we just went to that and he banged three or four 3s on them. Then, that forced them to stay home on our shooters and we were able to feed Wyatt down low where he had a great game."
 
Samford shot 57.8 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from 3-point range. The Bulldogs also won the rebounding battle, 43-28, including a vital 26-15 advantage in the second half.
 
"I thought our rebounding in the second half was a huge key for us," said Padgett. "We didn't give them many second-chance opportunities to get buckets, because when they do, they typically get 3-pointers."
 
The Bulldogs finished with five players scoring in double figures. Walker led the way with 22 points, while Christen Cunningham added 19 points and eight assists.
 
With his eight assists, Cunningham eclipsed the 100-assist plateau for a second straight season and became the first player in Samford history to accomplish the feat as a sophomore. He also became just the sixth player to record back-to-back, 100-assist seasons in program history.
 
Rose scored 17 points with his brilliant shooting performance Monday, while Darius Jones-Gibson tallied 14 and Jamal Shabazz chipped in with 10.
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Thursday at 6 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs continue their three-game road stretch against the Western Carolina Catamounts in a late-season league test to be held in Cullowhee, North Carolina.
 
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