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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University basketball team was held scoreless from the field in a key five-minute stretch in the waning minutes of play Saturday as the UNCG Spartans rallied late for an 81-75 Southern Conference road victory held at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
Midway through the second half, Samford (15-9, 6-5 SoCon) took its largest lead of the game, 56-51, following four straight points from sophomore center Wyatt Walker. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-9 big man finished the contest with 14 points and 11 rebounds to tally his 13^th double-double of the season.
 
Walker, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, entered the game ranked No. 16 in the nation in double-doubles.
 
Following Walker's quick four-point outburst, UNCG (17-8, 8-4 SoCon) answered with a deep 3-point basket from Marvin Smith. Smith's bucket proved to be a catalyst for the Spartans as it ignited an 11-0 run to give UNCG a 62-56 advantage with 7:57 remaining in the game.
 
Samford would trim the Spartans' lead to one point twice down the stretch, but the Bulldogs' late field-goal drought help to aid in UNCG's 81-75 victory.
 
The Spartans' senior point guard Diante Baldwin led all scorers with 22 points, while RJ White added a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore shooting guard Francis Alonso turned in a solid all-around performance with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists. He also notched a trio of steals.
 
Samford's Christen Cunningham scored 12 points, but highlighted the day with four assists. With his four-assist outing, the Bulldogs' dynamic junior set the school's all-time, single-season record in assists with 152 in 2016-17.
 
Cunningham, with at least eight more games to play this year, has already surpassed the previous single-season record of 151, which was achieved by Raijon Kelly in 2012-13.
 
Junior guard Demetrius Denzel-Dyson paced Samford with 18 points Saturday and registered his third double-double of the year by adding 10 rebounds. Denzel-Dyson knocked down a pair of 3-point baskets, but did most of his damage from the free-throw line with an 8-of-9 performance.
 
The Bulldogs' Alex Thompson tallied 10 points, two assists and a blocked shot Saturday, while true freshman Justin Hopkins came off the bench to pour in nine points in only 14 minutes of action. Fellow freshman Triston Chambers made his 24^th straight start of the season and scored eight points.
 
UNCG outshot Samford 49.2 to 40.0 percent from the field, but Samford performed better from beyond the arc, 46.7 to 30.0 percent.
 
The Spartans outrebounded Samford, 35-32, and outscored the Bulldogs, 36-26, in the paint.
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Thursday at 6 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs head to Spartanburg, South Carolina, to open a tough three-game SoCon road trip against the Wofford Terriers.
 
The highly-anticipated matchup will mark Samford's final time playing in Wofford's venerable Benjamin Johnson Arena. The Bulldogs will then face two more difficult road tests against Furman and ETSU.
 
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Updated Stats