GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Samford men's basketball team returned to the road in Southern Conference play as they faced Furman. The Bulldogs rallied back to tie the game with under three minutes remaining, but ultimately fell 78-73. The Bulldogs drop to 10-12 overall and 3-6 in SoCon, while the Paladins move to 15-7 on the year.

The first half saw Samford and Furman trade blows in what quickly became a back-and-forth battle, as there were 10 ties and four lead changes. Dylan Faulkner established himself in the paint, finishing efficiently and controlling the glass, as he scored 15 of his 19 points in the first 20 minutes of play. He finished 8-for-9 from the field and pulled down 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.

The Dogs were all over the glass, as they pulled down nine offensive boards in the half and 16 for the game; however, they outscored the home side by just five points, 17-12 in second-chance points. Jadin Booth scored six points in the half as he started slow from the floor, making just one of his first ten attempts from the field. Kam Martin came off the bench and added five of his 14 points in the first half. The Dogs shot 36 percent from the floor to 52 percent for the Paladins, but with 10 extra attempts in the half, they trailed their hosts just 35-33.

Samford fell behind by as many as 14 with 12 minutes left in the second half, but was brought back by Booth, who would finish with a team-high 23 points, on 8-of-21 shooting. He knocked down a jumper with three minutes left to cut the deficit to two points, 66-64, before Furman answered with a 7-0 run. The Bulldogs got it back to a two-point game with 20 seconds left, but they left too many points at the line to complete their comeback, going 12-of-22. 

The trio of Booth, Faulkner, and Martin combined to score 56 of the 73 points for the Dogs. Samford finished shooting 41 percent from the floor, 27-of-66, while Furman was more efficient on fewer opportunities as they shot 28-of-48 from the floor. The Bulldogs controlled the boards and won the turnover battle 14-4 but failed to take advantage as they fell by five to the Paladins, who completed the season sweep over Samford.

Up next, Samford continues its road trip on Saturday, Jan. 31, traveling to Cullowhee, N.C., to face Western Carolina at 12 p.m. The Catamounts entered today 7-12 with a road game against ETSU tonight.

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