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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The Samford University basketball team suffered its first road loss in Southern Conference play this season Saturday as the Bulldogs' late rally against the Chattanooga Mocs came up short in an 82-78 loss held at The McKenzie Arena.
 
Samford (13-7, 4-3 SoCon) moved to 7-4 in away games this season and 3-1 against conference opponents. The Bulldogs will next be in action Wednesday at 7 p.m. (CST) as they return home to the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Alabama, to face the ETSU Buccaneers.
 
Chattanooga (15-4, 6-1 SoCon) remained undefeated at home this season and jumped into a tie for first place in the conference standings along with UNCG. Already this year, Samford has handed UNCG its lone loss of the season, while the Spartans paid back the favor to Chattanooga.
 
The Mocs boast a perfect 9-0 record at home this season.
 
Chattanooga turned in a jaw-dropping 71.4-percent shooting mark from 3-point range in the first half and jumped out to a quick 27-9 advantage midway through the opening period. The Bulldogs would bounce back with 10 points, two assists and a pair of steals from junior point guard Christen Cunningham to cut the Mocs' lead to 39-32 at the half.
 
Samford's second half started off much in the same vein as the first half for the Bulldogs. Chattanooga used three straight buckets to open the period and garnered a 45-32 advantage at the 18:26 mark.
 
Samford kept plugging away in the second half and whittled Chattanooga's lead to 49-43 following a deep 3-point basket from Demetrius Denzel-Dyson.
 
Just five minutes later, the Bulldogs trimmed the Mocs' advantage to five points, 61-56, after a layup from Justin Hopkins, two free throws from Denzel-Dyson and back-to-back layups from Josh Sharkey and Denzel-Dyson.
 
Samford continued to trim Chattanooga's lead late in the game and was only down by two points, 80-78, with 10 seconds remaining.
 
The Mocs' Tre' McLean connected on a free throw with :6.3 seconds remaining to give his squad a three-point lead, 81-78, but Samford tallied one last chance to tie the game.
 
Following a timeout, the Bulldogs' head coach Scott Padgett drew up a perfect play for the situation and Cunningham found freshman sharpshooter Triston Chambers wide open in the right corner. With a chance to catch and shoot for the tie, Chambers took his eyes off the ball at the last second and bobbled the ball out of bounds.
 
Chattanooga was able to hang on for the 82-78 victory.
 
The Bulldogs' Denzel-Dyson led four players in double figures as he registered his first double-double of the season with a 22-point, 10-rebound performance. Cunningham and Sharkey both followed with 12 points apiece, while Chambers added 10 points and drained a trio of 3-point baskets.
 
Samford shot 50 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from 3-point range, but committed 17 turnovers. The Bulldogs dominated fast-break points, 10-0, and outscored Chattanooga in points in the paint, 36-26.
 
The Mocs knocked down eight 3-point baskets Saturday and pulled down 16 offensive rebounds. McLean led all scorers with 23 points.
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Wednesday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs return home to Birmingham, Alabama, for a marquee matchup against the ETSU Buccaneers to be held at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN3 with play-by-play specialist Curt Bloom calling the action along with "The Coach" Bill Jones and up-and-coming sideline reporter Hattie Breece.
 
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.

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