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ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- In a tough, hard-nosed contest held in the opening game of the 2016 Southern Conference Tournament presented by General Shale, the Samford University basketball team came through in the clutch as the Bulldogs tallied a 92-85 overtime victory against the VMI Keydets in a heart-racing matchup held at the U.S. Cellular Center.
 
"Nearly every game we've had this season has been a battle," said Samford head coach Scott Padgett. "We talked about it going into today's game that no matter who you're playing, it's going to be a war. We've had so many of those wars where we came up on the short end of the stick. What we talked about before the game was that none of those matter anymore. It's 0-0. All we have to do is figure out how to make a couple more plays than these teams now, and that's what we were able to do today."
 
With Friday's victory, Samford (14-18) won its three-game set with VMI (9-21) this season and advanced to face the top-seeded Chattanooga Mocs on Saturday at 11 a.m. (CST) in the quarterfinal round of the SoCon Tournament.
 
Samford and Chattanooga recently met just six days ago on Saturday as the Mocs rallied late for a 77-66 win held at The McKenzie Arena in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee.
 
"The style of this game and this victory really helped us get prepared for tomorrow, because Chattanooga's the type of team that'll try to bully you around," said Samford senior guard Darius Jones-Gibson. "So, when VMI started playing physical, it made us elevate our game and take it to the next level."
 
Jones-Gibson (25) and Christen Cunningham (21) combined for 46 points for the eighth-seeded Bulldogs on Friday. Junior First-Team All-SoCon performer QJ Peterson led all scorers with 27 points for the No. 9 seed Keydets, while Tim Marshall tallied 20 on 6-of-11 shooting from 3-point range.
 
Marcus Johnson's free throws with 3:50 remaining in the extra period put Samford up for good. A Phillip Anglade free throw at 1:47 got his Keydets within a point, 80-79.
 
The Bulldogs' Cunningham then answered with a jumper 21 seconds later before a Peterson free throw made it 82-80 with a 1:15 to play. True freshman Matt Rose had the dagger for Samford. His triple from in front of his bench at 1:03 made it a five-point game, 85-80.
 
"We ran a play and it was an isolation for me, so I knew I had a shooter in the corner and the defender jumped the play," said Cunningham. "He got himself out of position, so I was going to the lane and I knew that there was only one (defender) left and I knew he was going to have to guard me and I'd have Matt in the corner or he'd have to stay home and I'd have a layup, so he got caught in between. That's when I kicked it and soon as I passed it, I knew it was good. I've seen Matt make that shot 100 times."
 
On the next possession, Peterson's layup attempt rolled off the rim. VMI quickly fouled Jones-Gibson with 33 seconds to go. He calmly sank both free throws for the seven-point advantage. The Keydets would get no closer than four the rest of the way.
 
"I think every win we have in this program is huge right now," said Padgett. "The better we are, the more wins we get, it's a step forward in the right direction. Our record right now, we would love it to be better, but this program in the next couple years is going to be where we want it to be, and that's top of the SoCon.
 
"It's started with Darius and CC (Christen Cunningham) and this group of seniors because they stayed when they could have all left. They have showed faith in me and this program and what we are all about. It takes time to build a program, and we're taking a step in the right direction."
 
The Bulldogs made 31 of 36 free throw attempts, good for 86.1 percent. That's a season high for free tosses made.
 
Marcus Johnson came off the bench for 16 points and three steals, while Rose netted 15 for the Samford. Anglade scored a season-high 19 and blocked three shots for VMI, as Trey Chapman chipped in 11. Peterson added 14 rebounds, six assists and three steals.
 
Both teams had excellent chances to win in regulation. Anglade's layup off a fabulous feed from Peterson with just over a minute left knotted the score at 76-all. After a turnover, Peterson's driving shot in the lane just rolled off. Jones-Gibson went strong to the basket on the baseline in the final seconds, but the iron was unkind to him, as well.
 
"We knew the game would come down to who wanted it the most," said Jones-Gibson. "We knew that it wasn't going to be a blowout no matter how much you get up by. So, when they went on their run, we had to keep fighting. We knew it was going to be an intense game."
 
Samford led by as many as eight points in the first half as the Bulldogs shot an unconscious 71.4 percent from 3-point range in the opening period.
 
The Keydets battled back and actually led by two points, 56-54, with 11:15 remaining to play in the game. The teams played a back-and-forth contest down the stretch and fittingly Friday's SoCon opener needed an extra five minutes of game time to be decided.
 
"In overtime, we got some big stops and made some big plays," Padgett said. "I think the big play was CC (Christen Cunningham) driving and kicking it over to Matt Rose and him making that huge 3. We talk about making the right play no matter what it is. Both CC and Darius (Jones-Gibson) were rolling tonight and playing really well, attacking the basket."
 
Cunningham made school history Friday as he handed out three assists to become the first player in Samford lore to record back-to-back, 125-assist seasons. Only a sophomore, the Bulldogs' talented point guard from Lexington, Kentucky, has already accumulated 126 assists this year.
 
The Samford University basketball team advanced to Saturday's quarterfinal matchup against the top-seeded Chattanooga Mocs with its 92-85 overtime win against VMI. The Bulldogs' upcoming contest will be held at 11 a.m. (CST) at the U.S. Cellular Center.
 
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