CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Samford men's basketball team continued play in the Southern Conference as they faced off with Chattanooga on the road. After facing a massive deficit in the first half, the Bulldogs nearly battled all the way back against the Mocs, but their comeback bid came up short 88-79. Samford's record drops to 9-8 with the defeat and 2-2 in SoCon play.

Chattanooga jumped on top early, controlling the pace and building a commanding lead before halftime. The Mocs used a 21-4 first-half run to stretch their advantage to as many as 28 points with just under three minutes left before the break. Offensive struggles plagued Samford, as the Bulldogs managed only 31.8 percent shooting from the field and 30 percent from three-point range in the first 20 minutes. The Dogs shot just 11-of-22 from the line in the first half while the Mocs went 20-of-32 from the floor. After a late score from the hosts, Samford faced a 49-28 deficit at halftime.

It was a tale of two halves as the Bulldogs were by far the better team in the second half, outscoring the home side 51-39. Led by Jadin Booth and Dylan Faulkner, Samford slowly began to chip away. Booth led the charge, playing all 40 minutes while notching 23 points and pulling down 6 rebounds—surpassing the 2,000-point mark for his collegiate career. Booth has now recorded 20 or more points in three straight games and nine times this season. Faulkner continued his offensive tear by scoring a team-high 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting and added 5 rebounds and 2 assists. The junior has delivered 20 or more points in three consecutive outings and extended his double-digit scoring streak to eight games.

The Bulldogs cut the gap to as little as 4 points in the closing moments as they shot 56 percent from the floor in the second half while holding the Mocs to 31 percent. Chattanooga knocked down a huge three and converted from the line to put the game away as the Bulldogs' comeback bid ran out of time.

Freshman Isaiah Campbell-Finch  provided a spark with his best SoCon game of the season as he finished with 16 points. Only four other Bulldogs scored in the game as Keaton and Cade Norris combined for 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting. 

The Bulldogs will look to rebound at home when they face Furman on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at Pete Hanna Center. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. against a Furman team that has a 12-5 record and is 3-1 in league play.

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