Box Score (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Jermaine Marshall, a 6-foot-6 sophomore from Brighton, Ala., recorded his third consecutive double-double with 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds to lead the Samford University men's basketball team to a 52-50 come-from-behind victory over Alabama A&M University (1-6) on Saturday at the Pete Hanna Center. Wesley Cardet and Jaron Rillie added 11 points apiece for the Bulldogs (8-2) as well. Jalen Johnson led AAMU with 18 points apiece.   
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Samford 52 | Alabama A&M 50
Venue | Time: Pete Hanna Center | Birmingham, Ala. | 6 p.m.
Series: Sixth meeting | Samford leads the series 5-1
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HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Alabama A&M jumped out to a 6-2 lead behind a quick four from Jalen Johnson.
• Wesley Cardet and Richardson Maitre fueled an 8-2 run for the Bulldogs with a pair of 3-pointers to give Samford the 10-8 lead at the 14:14 media timeout.   
• Three straight baskets by Cooper Kaifes, Jacob Tryon, and Jaron Rillie gave Samford the 16-10 lead with 11:29 remaining in the half.
• AAMU came roaring back with an 11-0 run to take a 21-16 lead and force the Samford timeout. Johnson had six during the stretch with E.J. Williams adding a long jumper and Dailin Smith canning a 3-pointer.
• Rillie was fouled on a drive to the basket, leading to a pair of free throws to end the AAMU run and cut the deficit to three, 21-18.
• After just the second 3-pointer of the half by Garrett Hicks, AAMU led 26-20 at the 3:41 media timeout.
• Jermaine Marshall's driving layup ended a 9:12 stretch for Samford without a field goal, cutting the AAMU lead to 27-22 with 2:17 left in the half.
• Kaifes drained a huge 3-pointer with five seconds left on the clock, as AAMU carried a 29-25 lead into the halftime break.
• Johnson led AAMU and all scorers with 12 points and three rebounds at the break. Cardet led the Bulldogs with seven points while Marshall added four points and nine rebounds.
• A 3-pointer out of the hand of Marshall followed a pair of Cardet free throws to cut AAMU's lead to 31-30 with 17:15 to play in the game.
• After AAMU stretched the lead back to five, Jaden Campbell drilled a corner 3-pointer with 14:31 to go to pull the Bulldogs to within two, 38-36.
• Tryon drained a pair of free throws 2:23 later to tie the game at 38-38 for the Bulldogs.
• Marshall's back-to-back buckets gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the second half, 42-40, with 9:50 to play. SU's last lead was 16-14 with 10:09 to go in the first half.
• AAMU responded with a 7-0 run to reclaim the 48-44 lead with 4:10 remaining in the contest.
• A 3-pointer by Kaifes and a floater in the lane from Rillie put the Bulldogs back up one, 49-48, with 2:19 left in the second half.
• AAMU had a chance to take the lead with a pair of free throws with 2:09 to go but missed them both.
• Rillie's layup put the Bulldogs up three with 54 seconds left but Johnson answered for AAMU to make it a one-point game, 51-50, with :17 seconds to go.
• Marshall iced the game at the line with 0.8 seconds left in the game for the 52-50 victory.                                       

STATS OF THE GAME:

• Samford held Alabama A&M to just two field goals over the final 5:07 of the game.
• Alabama A&M shot 38 percent (21-of-55) from the field for the game while holding the Bulldogs to 31 percent (17-of-54). Both teams struggled from 3-point range with Samford making 7-of-37 and Alabama A&M 3-of-12.
• Alabama A&M outrebounded Samford 40-37 but the Bulldogs scored 11 points off 13 AAMU turnovers.
• Marshall was joined in double figures by Cardet (11) and Rillie (11).
• Hicks added 12 points for AAMU in the loss.            

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The Bulldogs played their second straight game without Ques Glover, who is currently second in the Southern Conference in scoring at 18.8 points per game. He joins A.J. Staton-McCray and Logan Dye who have missed the team's first 10 games due to injuries.
• Samford and Alabama A&M were meeting for the sixth time on the hardwood Saturday and the second straight year in Birmingham. Samford leads the all-time series 5-1 after Saturday's win

UP NEXT:

• The Bulldogs play host to Kennesaw State on Saturday, Dec. 18 in the final home game before the Christmas break. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Pete Hanna Center and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. 

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS:

• For the latest news and information on Samford Men's Basketball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordSports (Facebook), @SamfordMBB (Twitter), and @SamfordMBB (Instagram).