CULLOWHEE, N.C. - The Samford men's basketball team picked up its first Southern Conference road win of the season in a 74-64 victory at Western Carolina Saturday afternoon in the Ramsay Center.
 
"It takes a lot of toughness to do that (win on the road)," Samford head coach Bucky McMillan said. "We come back home on Wednesday, playing Chattanooga, we have to carry that same toughness back home and then we go back on the road and we have to carry it with us. I'm proud of what I'm seeing from our guys. We're getting a lot better."
 
With the win, Samford improves to 13-8 overall and 3-6 in Southern Conference play. Western Carolina falls to 8-14 overall and 2-7 in league play.
 
For Samford in the win, Jermaine Marshall had 18 points and seven rebounds. Jaron Rillie had 15 points, while Ques Glover had 13 points. Wesley Cardet and Jaden Campbell had 11 points each for the Bulldogs.
 
Western Carolina was led by Tyler Harris with 14 points. Joe Petrakis had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Catamounts.
 
Samford jumped out to an early 5-1 lead after a pair of free throws by Marshall with 18:21 to go in the first half. Western Carolina answered with an 8-0 run to take a 9-5 lead with 15:40 to go in the first half after a dunk by Harris. Samford fought back to take a 20-13 lead on a layup off a steal by Campbell with 12:18 left in the first period.
 
The Bulldogs built their lead to 10 points at 27-17 with 8:38 to go in the half after a three-pointer by Campbell. Western Carolina scored nine of the next 10 points to cut the lead to two points at 28-26 with 6:24 remaining in the first half after a layup by Marlow Gilmore. Samford scored the next five points to push its lead to 33-26 with 4:35 to play in the half after two free throws by Cardet. Samford took a 38-31 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
Western Carolina opened the second half with back-to-back three-pointers to cut the lead to one point at 38-37 with 18:01 left. The Catamounts tied the score at 44-44 with 14:10 to go following a three-point play by Vonterius Woolbright. Samford extended back out to a four-point lead to 50-46 with 12:33 left after a layup by Rillie.
 
With Samford leading, 50-49, the Bulldogs went on a 9-2 run to push their lead back out to eight points at 59-51 with 8:44 to go after a three-point play by Glover. The Catamounts came back to cut the lead to five points at 66-61 with 5:13 left after a layup by Gilmore. Samford pushed the lead back out to nine at 70-61 with 1:59 left after a pair of free throws by Marshall. Samford finished the game with a 74-64 win.
 
Samford will return home to host rival Chattanooga on Wednesday, Feb. 2. The game is set for a 7 p.m. start from the Pete Hanna Center.



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