GREENSBORO, N.C. – In a battle of the top two teams, record-wise, in the Southern Conference, the Samford men's basketball team picked up a 78-69 win at UNC Greensboro Thursday evening at the Greensboro Coliseum.
 
With the win, Samford improved to 21-3 overall and 10-1 in Southern Conference play. The Bulldogs have now won 21 of their last 22 games. UNC Greensboro fell to 17-7 overall and 8-3 in league play.
 
"This was just a total team win," Samford head coach Bucky McMillan said. "It was just a signature win for our program. They are such a tough team, and we knew we had to at least match their toughness and physicality for 40 minutes. That's one of the best defenses there is, and they are always scrappy. When we play them, it's a war. We had a great second half and I think that's a tribute to everybody coming in and playing their part."
 
Samford was led in the win by Jaden Campbell with 17 points. Achor Achor and Jermaine Marshall tallied 16 points each for the Bulldogs. Rylan Jones dished out seven assists in the win.
 
For UNC Greensboro, Keyshaun Langley led the way with a game-high 19 points. Mikeal Brown-Jones tallied 15 points and 11 rebounds. Kobe Langley added 10 points for the Spartans.
 
UNC Greensboro raced out to a 9-0 lead with 17:06 to go in the first half following a three-pointer by Keyshaun Langley. Samford fought back to cut the lead to four points at 14-10 with 13:52 left in the opening half after a layup by Achor. After UNCG pushed its lead to 18-10, Samford scored the next six points to close to within two points at 18-16 with 9:40 left in the half after a three-pointer by Marshall.
 
The Spartans extended their lead back to nine points at 28-19 with 6:54 to go in the first half after a layup by Jalen Breath. The Bulldogs cut the lead to four points at 28-24 at the 6:06 mark in the first half after a layup by Garrett Hicks. UNCG pushed its lead back out to nine points at 35-26 with 4:30 left before halftime after two free throws by Miles Jones. Samford cut the lead to four points at 39-35 late in the half, but a Kobe Langley three-pointer at the first-half buzzer gave the Spartans a 42-35 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
 
Samford started the second half off strong, storming back to take a 50-48 lead with 13:21 to go after a three-pointer by Marshall. After UNCG knotted the score at 50-50, Samford scored the next four points to take a 54-50 lead with 11:06 left after a pair of free throws by Campbell. UNCG came back to tie the game at 58-58 with 8:56 left after a three-pointer by Kobe Langley.
 
With the game tied at 60-60, Samford went on an 11-2 run to take a 71-62 lead with 2:00 to go following a three-pointer by Achor. The Spartans closed to within five points at 72-67 with 58 seconds left, but UNCG could get no closer as Samford came away with the 78-69 win.
 
Samford will next play at VMI on Saturday. The game is set for a 12 p.m. (CT) start from Lexington, Va.


 
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