HOUSTON, Texas - The Samford Bulldogs faced off with Texas Southern tonight on the road as they played their third game of the early season. The Bulldogs captured a 93-90 overtime victory as they move to 2-1 on the year, while the Tigers drop to 0-3.

The two sides played a tight opening half, as neither side was able to separate. The Dogs struggled from three in the opening 20 minutes as they started just 5-of-17 from behind the arc, but they made up for it by getting to the free-throw line 18 times. Samford's second leading scorer, Dylan Faulkner, picked up two early fouls as the Dogs got just three minutes from their starting center. 

With Faulkner saddled with foul trouble, the Bulldogs needed someone to fill his scoring void, and that came from freshman Isaiah Campbell-Finch who scored eight in the first half and finished with a career-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Keaton Norris played his second straight stellar game as the starting point guard finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jadin Booth got off to another quick start as he led the way with 14 points in the first half.

Even without their starting center, the Bulldogs won the battle of the boards in the opening half, and a late 11-0 run put the Bulldogs ahead 44-39 at the break.

TSU shot the ball well from the floor all night long, as they were over 50 percent in each half and finished at 51 percent for the game. The Dogs knocked down another five threes in the second half, including two huge threes late by Norris, who took the game over with the game in the balance. One was a crafty finish at the rim while being fouled with five minutes left to put Samford up one, and followed by a game-tying three with 29 seconds left to make the score 82-82. A late defensive stop by the Dogs sent the game to overtime.

In the extra five-minute period, the Bulldogs were strong defensively, holding TSU to 3-of-9 shooting. On the offensive end, Samford attacked the basket aggressively and got to the line 14 times. Despite not taking advantage from the charity stripe, making just 8-of-14 attempts, along with another Norris three-pointer early in the overtime that cut the quick Tiger five-point lead back to two. The Bulldogs forced a turnover in the final seconds as they came away with the 93-90 win.

Booth finished with a team-high 23 points and nine rebounds for the Bulldogs as he, Norris, and Campbell-Finch combined for 76 of the team's 93 points. Cade Norris got the second straight start and reached double-figures with 11 points as he went 6-of-7 from the line. 

The Bulldogs have a quick turnaround as they face their toughest test of the season on Friday night against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Tip is set for 7 p.m. as both sides enter the game with a 2-1 mark on the season. 

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