GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Samford Men's Basketball Team knocked down a season-high 15 threes and held off a late charge by UNCG to claim a 70-68 road win against the Spartans on Saturday to move to the top of the Southern Conference Standings.
 
With the win, Samford improves to 10-7 overall and 4-0 in SoCon play. UNCG drops to 9-8 overall and 3-1 in league play. The win marks the Bulldogs' first 4-0 start in conference play since the 2006-07 season as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. 
 
A.J. Staton-McCray scored a season-high 17 points while Logan Dye also registered 17 to go along with eight rebounds. Bubba Parham converted on four of six three-pointers en route to a 15-point performance while Jermaine Marshall grabbed a team-high eight rebounds on six points.
 
Five Bulldogs made at least two threes on the afternoon, with Parham (4-6) and Dye (3-7) recording three each.
 
Despite falling behind 12-3 to UNCG to start the day, the Bulldogs caught fire midway through the first half with a 13-0 run.
 
A Dye layup put Samford up 16-12 at the 8:16 mark and would serve as the first of ten points for the senior forward in the first half, with a three-ball from him at the 6:04 mark giving the Bulldogs a 22-17 lead.
 
The Bulldogs used the three to create separation in the first half, going 9-17 from downtown over the first 20 minutes. Samford led by nine twice in the half, with its most recent coming on a Dye jumper that put them up 33-24 with 2:34 to go. The Spartans fought back by scoring seven of the next eight points however to trim the Bulldogs' lead to 34-31 at the break.
 
UNCG outscored Samford 13-11 over the first eight and a half minutes of the second half, but the Bulldogs heated up over the next four minutes with a 12-2 run capped off by a Parham trey with 7:30 to go.
 
Following a Staton-McCray three at the 4:01 mark that put the Bulldogs up 67-57, the Spartans scored nine unanswered points to trim Samford's lead to 67-66 with 1:11 remaining.
 
Staton-McCray helped settle things down with a pair of free throws to put the Bulldogs up 69-66 with 56 seconds left. Jaron Rillie dropped in the final free throw to make it 70-68 before a stop on the final possession by the Bulldogs sealed the deal.
 
Samford finished the game shooting 50 percent (25-50) from the floor and 48 percent (15-31) from beyond the arc. Saturday's contest featured one lead change, a three by Parham that put the Bulldogs up 14-12 with 9:03 to play in the first. From there, the Bulldogs held the lead for the final 29 minutes of the contest.
 
The Bulldogs will return to the court on Wednesday, Jan. 11 when they welcome the Wofford Terriers to the Pete Hanna Center for a 7:00 p.m. home SoCon contest.
 
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).