CULLOWHEE, N.C. - The Samford men's basketball team hit the road for the first time in Southern Conference play today as they faced off with Western Carolina. The Bulldogs put together a near-complete 40-minute performance on their way to an 88-69 victory. The win moves Samford's record to 12-3 overall and 2-0 in SoCon play while Western Carolina falls to 4-9 and 0-2 in league play.

The Bulldogs took the best shot from the Catamounts early on as the home side was shooting the ball well from three. So often it is a make-or-miss game, but the Dogs overcame their opponent's hot start and clawed back into the contest after trailing 19-13. While Western Carolina did their work from deep, the Bulldogs controlled the paint 36-24 on the afternoon and got out and ran when they could winning the fast break battle 17-5. Samford had a balanced scoring attack in the first 20 minutes of play as they shot 17-of-33 from the floor but were only 3-of-12 from three. The Dogs led 44-34 at the half.

"They shot the ball well from three, 50 percent, and we still found a way to be up 10 at the half," said head coach Bucky McMillan. "That means we are doing some good things in other categories. I am pretty high on how we are playing right now. We have continued to get better and we are going to have to keep getting better in the league as the season progresses."

The Bulldogs hit the Catamounts with a three-point barrage out of the half as Jaden Brownell hit on three straight possessions to open the second half on his way to a team-high 23-point night in just 18 minutes and 8-of-11 shooting. Trey Fort continues to be a consistent scoring presence for Samford as he is now the team's leading scorer and added an efficient 18 points, 6-of-9 shooting. 

There seemingly is always a performance off the bench for these Bulldogs and tonight that came from Larry Olayinka who was a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor, scoring 12 points, and Julian Brown who scored nine for the second unit. 

Samford defended the three-point line better in the second half, limiting the home side to just three makes from behind the arc after they connected on eight in the first half. After the hot start to the second half, the Dogs cruised, leading by as many as 26 with four minutes remaining in the game.

The Dogs will look to continue their strong start in league play as they host VMI on Jan. 9 at the Pete Hanna Center at 7 p.m. The Keydets are 6-8 on their season and 0-1 in SoCon play so far and have a matchup with Mercer tonight.



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)