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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University basketball team played toe-to-toe with the Wofford Terriers in a hard-fought Southern Conference showdown Thursday, but the Bulldogs' furious second-half rally came up short, 93-89, in the early-season league matchup held at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
With less than five seconds to play, Samford (7-12, 3-3 SoCon) trailed Wofford (13-5, 4-1 SoCon) by just three points, 91-88, when senior forward Alex Thompson rose up for an open 3-point basket from the left flank. Thompson, who registered a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds, fired the shot approximately a yard beyond the 3-point line and the attempt looked good leaving his hand.
 
Unfortunately, Thompson's attempt proved to be barely off the mark, but Samford center Alex Peters came down with the rebound and was fouled on his put-back attempt with :2.5 seconds remaining in the clock.
 
Peters then made his first free throw to make the score 91-89, but his second shot didn't count as the Bulldogs were called for a line violation. On the ensuing possession, the Terriers were able to find a streaking Fletcher Magee down the court for a last-second, breakaway dunk.
 
Magee scored a game-high 31 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field in Wofford's 93-89 win. The Terriers' junior guard from Orlando, Florida, knocked down 8-of-15 attempts from 3-point range.
 
Samford shot 51.7 percent from the field in the first half and trailed Wofford, 49-41, at the intermission. Both teams connected on eight 3-point field goals in the opening 20 minutes of play.
 
The Bulldogs' Justin Coleman took over in the second half.
 
After scoring three points in the first stanza, Samford's lightning-quick point guard from Birmingham, exploded for 17 points in the second period alone. He also handed out 12 assists Thursday for his third double-double of the season, including his second in three games.
 
Coleman couldn't be stopped on the offensive end of the court and led Samford back from a 17-point first-half deficit to an even 62-62 score with 12:53 left to play in the game.
 
Down the stretch, Wofford would go on a five or six-point run and the Bulldogs would answer right back to make it a two or three-point game.
 
Samford's Thompson led the Bulldogs with 21 points, while Coleman added his 20 and Demetrius Denzel-Dyson followed with 15 points and five rebounds. He also chipped in with two assists and a blocked shot.
 
Eric Adams finished with 13 points and turned in a 5-of-6 shooting performance from the field, including a trio of monstrous two-handed dunks over Wofford defenders. Adams, who has already started a career-high 17 games this season, is averaging 7.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this year.
 
Samford outscored Wofford, 40-26, in the paint, but the Terriers outscored the Bulldogs, 42-30, from 3-point range.
 
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs travel to Greenville, South Carolina, for a road game against the Furman Paladins to be held at Timmons Arena.
 
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