BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford junior Achor Achor hit a layup in the final seconds of the game to lift the Bulldog men's basketball team to a dramatic 81-79 win over Wofford Wednesday evening at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
With the win, Samford improved to 19-3 overall and 8-1 in Southern Conference play. Wofford fell to 12-10 overall and 5-4 in league action.
 
"This was a good win," Samford head coach Bucky McMillan said. "It is what it is. We didn't finish the game tight, and I think if we finish it tight, take care of the ball, shoot free throws, get our defense set up, we probably space out and win by 10. We just have to be tighter in those situations late. The positive was, even after that horrific finish to tie the game back up, we were composed enough to run exactly what we wanted to run, to get the ball in the middle of the floor between one of our best decision makers (Rylan Jones) and a potential Player of the Year (Achor Achor), put them in a two-man game there and execute it to win the game."
 
With Samford leading, 79-76, Wofford's Corey Tripp made a three-pointer to tie the score at 79-79 with 19 seconds left in the game. The Bulldogs then ran the clock down and Rylan Jones found Achor open in the paint to score the game-winning basket in the final seconds and give Samford the 81-79 win.
 
For Samford in the game, Jaden Campbell led the team with 18 points. Jones and Dallas Graziani had 15 points each. Achor tallied seven points, eight rebounds and eight assists in the win.
 
Wofford was led by Chase Cormier with 15 points. Dillon Bailey scored 14 points for the Terriers, while Tripp scored 10 points and Kyler Filewich tallied 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
 
Samford jumped out to an early 7-3 lead with 18:29 to go in the first half after a jumper by Campbell. Wofford then went on an 11-2 run to take a 14-9 advantage at the 15:13 mark in the first half following a three-pointer by Cormier. The Terriers led by seven points at 23-16 with 10:55 left in the opening half after a three-pointer by Chase Martin.
 
With Wofford leading, 27-20, Samford went on a 12-2 run to take a 32-29 lead with 4:32 left in the first half after a three-pointer by Campbell. Wofford came back to take a 36-34 lead with 1:44 left before halftime following a dunk by Belal El Shakery. Samford scored the final six points of the first half to take a 40-36 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
Samford pushed its lead to seven points at 47-40 with 17:26 left in the game following a three-pointer by Graziani. Wofford then went on a 10-2 run to take a 50-49 lead with 14:37 to play after a three-pointer by Tripp. The teams traded baskets over the next several minutes until Wofford was able to take a four-point lead at 64-60 with 9:14 left after a three-pointer by Bailey.
 
Samford then went on a 10-0 run to take a 70-64 lead at the 7:04 mark in the game following a three-pointer by Garrett Hicks. The Bulldogs stretched their lead to nine points at 75-66 with 4:39 to play after a layup by Achor. Wofford then went on a 13-4 run to tie the game at 79-79, setting the stage for Achor's game-winning basket.
 
Samford will next play at Chattanooga on Saturday, Feb. 3. The game is set for a 3:30 p.m. (CT) start from McKenzie Arena.




 
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).