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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University basketball team suffered a 102-96 home defeat against The Citadel Bulldogs on Saturday as the homestanding Bulldogs closed out their 2016-17 home slate with a bitter Southern Conference loss.
 
Samford (17-13, 8-9 SoCon) finished with a pair of 30-point scorers in the contest, but freshman Preston Parks of The Citadel (10-20, 3-14 SoCon) stole the show with 37 points on 13-of-22 shooting from the field, as well as eight rebounds, three assists and a trio of steals.
 
Samford's Alex Thompson turned in a brilliant 35-point performance in a career-high outing, while Demetrius Denzel-Dyson poured in 30 points, including a game-high six 3-point baskets. Thompson registered his first double-double of the season by adding 11 rebounds. He also handed out three assists and connected on 13-of-21 shots from the field.
 
Thompson fouled out in the second half and Denzel-Dyson closed out the game in strong fashion by scoring nine points in the final 1:15.
 
Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field, while The Citadel turned in a game-high 54.8 percent outing. Samford shot 50.8 percent from the floor and 46.7 from beyond the arc (14-of-30).
 
The Citadel scored most of its points in the paint and from the free-throw line. The road Bulldogs outscored Samford, 42-30, in the lane and 26-18 at the charity stripe.
 
Samford jumped out to an early 24-9 lead in the first half and held a 47-42 advantage at the intermission.
 
In the early portion of the second half, The Citadel rallied for a 20-7 run and garnered a 74-64 lead with 9:35 remaining in the game.
 
The Bulldogs would later cut the Cadets' lead to three points, 94-91, following a Denzel-Dyson 3-pointer with 44 seconds left to play. In the final seconds. The Citadel would keep Samford's feisty defense from causing turnovers and was able to connect on its late free throws to earn the 102-96 victory.
 
The win snapped The Citadel's 11-game losing streak dating back to Jan. 7. The Cadets have seemingly had Samford's number over the years and currently hold an 11-7 advantage in the all-time series.
 
Despite their loss Saturday, the Bulldogs' hopes of earning the No. 6 seed and a first-round bye in next week's tournament are still alive. The winner of Monday's SoCon finale at Mercer will be the No. 6 seed. The loser will be the No. 7 seed and will be forced to play in Friday's opening round.
 
Earlier this season, Samford suffered a difficult 68-65 home loss to Mercer.
 
Prior to Saturday's game, senior Terry Brutus was honored by the Bulldogs with a special Senior Night presentation. He earned his third start of the season in the contest.
 
Junior point guard Christen Cunningham added 12 points and two rebounds, while he and true freshman Josh Sharkey both tied for the game-high total of nine assists. Cunningham has already dismantled Samford's single-season record in the category and now owns 181 this year. The previous record was 151.
 
Sharkey bested Cunningham's freshman record of 125 on Saturday. Sharkey, the Bulldogs' explosive frosh from Philadelphia, has already handed out 126 assists this season.
 
Sophomore center Wyatt Walker scored seven points and added 10 rebounds, while Justin Hopkins came off the bench for four points and Triston Chambers added three.
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Monday at 6 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs travel to Macon, Georgia, for a critical SoCon matchup to be held at Hawkins Arena. The winner will earn the No. 6 seed and a first-round bye in the SoCon Tournament.
 
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