NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Samford men's basketball team opened its 2025-26 season tonight as they traveled to face Tulane on the road. The Bulldogs hung tight with the Green Wave late into the second half, but a late Tulane run took down the Bulldogs 85-72 as Samford falls to 0-1 on the year.

In the first game under new head coach Lennie Acuff, the new look Bulldogs had nine newcomers make their Samford debuts on the night. Led by Keaton Norris and Dylan Faulkner early, the Dogs jumped out to a 10-6 lead in the opening minutes of play. The home side found its footing offensively and took the lead as the Samford offense went cold outside of graduate guard Jadin Booth. He had 19 of the team's 33 points in the opening half as he went 6-of-12 from the floor and 5-of-10 from three. 

Faulkner and Norris added seven and five points each, and Will Shaver added a bucket while just four Bulldogs scored in the half. As a team, Samford shot 12-of-32 from the field and 6-of-18 from deep. Tulane shot it well in the first half, over 50 percent from the floor and from three in the half. The home side also outscored the Bulldogs by seven from the free-throw line as the Bulldogs trailed 43-33 at the half. 

The Jadin Booth show continued early in the second half as he was on fire from three. He connected on 4-of-7 attempts from deep in the half as the Bulldogs cut the Tulane lead to three points after an 8-0 run at the 13:58 mark. The Green Wave answered with a run of their own and quickly retook a double-digit lead and never really looked back. 

Booth finished the night with a game-high 34 points on 10-of-20 shooting. He tied a school record in his debut performance as he connected on nine threes while Faulkner continued his good work in the second half, finishing with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Keaton Norris finished in double figures with 10 points, but the rest of the Bulldogs combined for just 12 points on the night. Jaxon Pollard was a factor around the rim as he collected a game-high nine rebounds on the night, as Samford outrebounded the Green Wave 15-2 on the offensive glass.

The Bulldogs struggled to stop the Tulane offense throughout the night, especially in the second half where the home side shot 65 percent from the field and 54 percent from three. Samford was stronger in the second half but was outscored 42-39 as they fell 85-72.

Samford returns home and is back in the Pete Hanna Center for the first time this season on Friday night against South Carolina State. The game is set to tip at 7:30 in Birmingham and can be seen on ESPN+.

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