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LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The Samford University basketball team's run in the 2017 College Insider.com Postseason Tournament came to an end Monday as the Bulldogs come up short in a second-round contest against the Liberty Flames, 66-58, in a hard-fought matchup held at the Vines Center (1,388).
 
With the loss, Samford (20-16) concluded its 2016-17 season with its most victories in 11 years, as well as the Bulldogs' first winning campaign since 2005-06.
 
Samford also set a number of school records this season, including points scored, field-goal attempts, free throws and assists. The Bulldogs scored a school-record 2,834 points this year and shattered the previous record of 2,335, which was set during the 1970-71 campaign.
 
Additionally, Samford totaled 2,038 field-goal attempts; a mark that is 54 attempts more than the previous all-time record of 1,984 that was set 47 years ago in 1969-70.
 
The Bulldogs also set single-season team records in free throws (645) and assist (581). Samford's totals this year well surpassed the school's previous records of 564 and 543, respectively.
 
Samford, which won its first postseason game in school history last week against Canisius, 78-74, will return all but one player from this season's roster in 2017-18. Terry Brutus, the Bulldogs' lone senior on the squad this year, finished the 2016-17 campaign with an average of 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 28 games.
 
With Monday's win, Liberty (21-13) advanced to the third round of the 2017 CIT and earned a pair of postseason victories for the first time in school history.
 
Liberty will now wait for its next game in the CIT as the Flames will play in the quarterfinal round. Games will be played from March 24-26, with Liberty's next game date and opponent yet to be determined.
 
Samford's Demetrius Denzel-Dyson scored a game-high 19 points Monday, but the Bulldogs committed 16 costly turnovers as the Flames ran to a 25-5 advantage in points-off turnovers.
 
Liberty finished with five players scoring in double figures and was paced by John Dawson's 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. The Flames also received double-digit scoring performances from Lovell Cabbil (14), Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz (13) and both Ryan Kemrite and Ezra Talbert with 10 points apiece.
 
At halftime, Liberty held a 30-24 lead.
 
The Bulldogs made a run eight minutes into the second half to cut the Flames' lead to 38-36, but Liberty responded with back-to-back 3-pointers from Cabbil and a pair of free throws from Talbert to extend its lead to 10, 46-36. Samford would get no closer than six points for the remainder of the game.
 
With 58 points Monday, the Bulldogs' scoring total was its third lowest output of the 2016-17 campaign. Samford was also limited to 55 points at Cincinnati on Nov. 23, 70-55, and 48 points at New Mexico State on Nov. 16, 58-48.
 
Samford's Wyatt Walker recorded his 17^th double-double of the season Monday. The Bulldogs' Third-Team All-Southern Conference performer finished the contest with 12 points, 11 rebounds and a pair of assists. He wrapped up his stellar sophomore campaign with an average of 12.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
 
Speaking of stellar campaigns, Samford's Christen Cunningham handed out five assists against Liberty and finished the year with a school-record total of 225. He obliterated the previous single-season mark of 151 set by Raijon Kelly in 2012-13.
 
Josh Sharkey set the freshman record in assists with 150 and finished his first season on campus with a school-record 71 steals.
 
Sharkey scored 11 points off the bench Monday, while Alex Thompson chipped in with eight points and six rebounds against the Flames.
 
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