BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford men's basketball team hosted Wofford tonight at the Pete Hanna Center in Southern Conference play. The Bulldogs dominated the game wire-to-wire, capturing a 77-61 victory that takes their record to 17-4 overall and 7-1 in SoCon play while Wofford falls to 11-10 on the year and 5-3 in league play.

Samford set the tone of the game immediately with their effort defensively. They didn't rely on forced turnovers like they have at times throughout the season but locked down the Terriers in the half-court. The Bulldogs were physical and denying the passing lanes, forcing Wofford to initiate their offense further away from the basket. Samford held their visitors to 10-of-30 shooting and 4-of-15 from deep.

On the offensive end, the Dogs countered by shooting 50 percent from the field led by Jaden Brownell's 14 points. The Samford big man was a perfect 4-of-4 from three in the first half while the Dogs shot 8-of-16 from deep in the half. The Bulldogs got 15 points from their bench in the half, led by Lukas Walls who scored nine points for the second unit. After one of the better 20-minute performances of the season for Samford, they led 42-26 at the break.

The Bulldogs didn't take their foot off the gas early in the second half. They built upon their lead and got up by as many as 25 points in the second half. Both sides picked up their offensive efficiency in the second half as Wofford got into the bonus early in the second half and used the free throw line late to cut into the Dogs lead but the game was never in doubt throughout the night.

Samford shot 57 percent in the second half of play tonight as 10 different players scored for the Dogs. Trey Fort led the way with six of his 11 points in the second half as four different Bulldogs finished in double figures, Walls, Brownell, and Rylan Jones.

The three-point shooting had cooled of late for the Bulldogs but they were able to knock in 11 tonight to meet their season average. Per usual for  Samford, the bench unit played a big factor in the game as the second unit outscored Wofford's 30-8. 

The Bulldogs remain atop the SoCon with the victory as they sit at 7-1, one game plus the tiebreaker, ahead of UNCG in the standings who sits at 6-2. Up next, the Bulldogs head to Furman on Jan. 29 to face a Paladin team who sits at 16-4 overall but is just 4-4 in SoCon play. Furman is coming off a 79-74 win against Mercer tonight.





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