BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford Men's Basketball team (6-1) came one possession away from erasing a 17-point deficit in its first loss of the 2022-23 season on Friday, falling 79-76 to the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech (4-2).

Ques Glover led the Bulldogs with a season-high 26 points on the afternoon. The junior guard shot 50 percent (9-18) from the floor while dishing out a team-high four assists.

Logan Dye and Jermaine Marshall both tallied 10 points, four rebounds, and a pair of threes. Bubba Parham and Cooper Kaifes both also grabbed four rebounds, with Parham scoring five points and dishing out three assists.

The Bulldogs took a 9-6 lead at the 16:00 minute mark following a three from Kaifes, but Louisiana Tech responded with a 14-0 run to go up 20-9 at the under-12 media timeout.

Samford fought their way back with a 16-8 run, highlighted by 13 unanswered points from the 9:52 to the 4:29 mark to trail just 28-25. From there, the Bulldogs outscored Louisiana Tech 10-3 to take a 35-33 lead into halftime.

Louisiana Tech opened the second half with a 17-2 scoring run to take a 50-37 lead with 15:14 to play and would hold a double-digit lead for most of the period. Samford turned up the intensity over the final five minutes with a 13-0 run that trimmed Louisiana Tech's lead to 73-70 following a pair of free throws from Glover at the 1:47 mark.

The Bulldogs got their best chance to tie the game following a steal by A.J. Staton-McCray with 50 seconds left, but Parham's three on the ensuing possession would clank off the rim to keep the score 75-72 in favor of Louisiana Tech.

With only eight seconds left and leading by a score of 78-76, Louisiana Tech grabbed a crucial rebound following a pair of missed free throws to get back to the line and extend its lead to 79-76. On the next possession, the Bulldogs committed an untimely turnover to give the ball back to LA Tech to help them seal the victory.

Samford finished the night shooting 45 percent (23-51) from the floor, 31 percent (9-29) from the three-point line, and 70 percent (21-30) on free throws. LA Tech posted similar numbers, finishing 46 percent (24-52) on all field goals, 40 percent (10-25) from three, and 67 percent (21-31) from the charity stripe.

The Bulldogs will return to the hardwood for their fourth game in eight days on Sunday, Nov. 27 where they'll host the Tennessee Southern Firehawks. Tip-off from the Pete. Hanna Center is slated for 2:00 p.m. (CST)





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