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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- In a hard-fought, physical Southern Conference showdown held at the Pete Hanna Center Wednesday, the Samford University basketball team used a combination of tough defense and clutch rebounding to defeat the defending conference champion and preseason-favorite Chattanooga Mocs, 72-68, in overtime.
 
The win proved to be Samford's (17-12, 8-8 SoCon) first triumph over Chattanooga (19-9, 10-6 SoCon) since Feb. 8, 2014, and snapped a six-game losing streak against the Bulldogs' closest rival in the 10-team league.
 
Samford also moved a full game ahead of Mercer in the race for the sixth seed in next week's SoCon Tournament to be held in Asheville, North Carolina. Mercer came up short against UNCG on Wednesday at home in Macon, Georgia, 72-66.
 
In the SoCon Tournament format, the top six teams in the final league standings will receive an all-important first-round bye.
 
Samford finished Wednesday's game with four players scoring in double figures and sophomore center Wyatt Walker earning his 14^th double-double of the season. Walker, the Bulldogs' 6-foot-9 native of Jacksonville, Florida, turned in one of the best games of his career with 15 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots.
 
Despite Walker's landmark game, junior point guard Christen Cunningham took the cake with 11 points and three assists. Late in the first half, Cunningham dropped off a pretty pass to Walker for a two-handed dunk and set the school's all-time assist record on the play.
 

Cunningham, with more than a year left to play in his illustrious collegiate career, has already tallied 434 assists and broke the previous all-time career record of 433, which was set in 2007 by Jerry Smith. Cunningham also owns the school's single-season record in assists with 181 and counting this year.
 
Samford's previous record in the category was 151 set by Raijon Kelly in 2013.
 
The Bulldogs' defense limited Chattanooga to 34.2 percent shooting from the floor Wednesday. Conversely, Samford registered a 50-percent mark from the field and outscored the Mocs, 40-35, in the paint.
 
The contest proved to be a tale of two halves as the teams combined to score 76 points in the first half, but only 50 in the second stanza. The Bulldogs held a 42-34 advantage at halftime before Chattanooga outscored Samford, 29-21, in the second period.
 
The Mocs held possession for the final play of regulation with the game knotted at 63-63. With the game on the line, Samford's Josh Sharkey played stifling defense on freshman guard Rodney Chatman and forced him to throw up a low-percentage shot at the buzzer.
 
In overtime, Samford received three points from Walker and a pair from Cunningham, Sharkey and Justin Hopkins to earn the huge victory. The Bulldogs' late free throws from Sharkey and Walker salted the game away for their 72-68 decision.
 
Wednesday's contest proved to be Samford's fifth overtime game of the season, marking the most for a Bulldog squad in 35 years dating back to the 1981-82 campaign when the team played six. Samford is 2-3 in overtime games this season.
 
The Bulldogs' Demetrius Denzel-Dyson scored 13 points and pulled down four rebounds, while Sharkey added 12 points and Hopkins chipped in with nine on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting performance from the field.
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Saturday at 6 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs face The Citadel in a Senior Night matchup to be held at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
Prior to Saturday's game, Samford's lone senior, Terry Brutus, will be honored with a special Senior Night presentation. Fans are encouraged to arrive early for the event.
 
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Box Score
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Video Highlights
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