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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Samford point guard Justin Coleman scored a career-high 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the field Saturday and helped lead the Bulldogs to a demonstrative 73-56 home victory against the Chattanooga Mocs in a key Southern Conference-opening contest held at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
Coleman, the Bulldogs' talented 5-foot-10 junior from right here in Birmingham, also added six assists, four rebounds and a trio of steals. He scored 24 of his 28 points in the paint as the Mocs' combination of guards couldn't stop Coleman's penetration on the high pick-and-roll.
 
Samford (5-9, 1-0 SoCon) continued to play well at home Saturday. The Bulldogs own a near-perfect 5-1 record in the Pete Hanna Center this season and shot a sizzling 61.7 percent from the floor against Chattanooga (6-8, 0-1 SoCon).
 
Senior forward Alex Thompson drained a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer to give Samford a 41-30 advantage heading into the intermission. The Bulldogs shot 70.8 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes of action and 50 percent from 3-point range.
 
Samford turned in its best defensive performance of the season Saturday and limited the Mocs to just 35-percent shooting from the floor. The Bulldogs also outrebounded Chattanooga, 34-26, and outscored the Mocs, 36-16, in the paint.
 
Coleman scored 14 points in each half and helped Samford build a 22-point advantage in the second period. Late in the game, the Bulldogs took their foot of the gas and coasted to the 73-56 victory.
 
Samford's triumph proved to be its largest over Chattanooga since Feb. 10, 2010, when the Bulldogs posted a 78-54 victory at The McKenzie Arena in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee.
 
On Saturday, following Coleman's game-high 28 points, senior center Eric Adams followed with 11 points, seven rebounds, three blocked shots and a pair of steals. Samford's bench outscored Chattanooga's reserves, 21-3, as Thompson tallied nine, Alex Peters added eight and Josh Sharkey chipped in with four points, six assists and a steal.
 
Sophomore guard Triston Chambers proved to be a key player Saturday as the Bulldogs' native of Cold Springs, notched eight points and six rebounds in 30 minutes of playing time.
 
Chattanooga finished with four players scoring in double figures and was paced by Rodney Chatman's 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range.
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs continue play in their key two-game SoCon homestand against the ETSU Buccaneers. The game will be held at the Pete Hanna Center and broadcast live on ESPN3.
 
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