GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Samford men's basketball team returned to action tonight in Southern Conference play as they traveled to take on UNCG. The Bulldogs and Spartans were both coming off conference wins, but the home side came out on top today, defeating the Bulldogs 89-82. With the loss, Samford falls to 8-7 overall and 1-1 in SoCon play.

The Bulldogs entered Greensboro riding a four-game winning streak after defeating VMI in the midweek. Samford fell behind early, after leading for just 20 seconds as UNCG shot the ball well from three and the line to build their lead. They went 5-of-8 from behind the arc and 12-of-15 from the stripe, while the Dogs only hit on 3-of-14 of their attempts from deep.

Dylan Faulkner shouldered the load of the offense throughout much of the night. He scored 13 of his 25 points in the first half, going 8-of-11 from the field on the night. The only downside of the junior's performance was at the free throw line, where he went 9-of-18. With the Bulldogs needing an offensive kick, Keaton Norris knocked down two threes and scored eight points in the first 20 minutes of play. The two sides were even in a lot of offensive categories; however, UNCG held a 43-35 lead at the half. 

The offensive load fell on the big three of the Bulldogs in Keaton Norris, Faulkner, and Jadin Booth in the second half. After a 1-for-9 start, Booth caught fire in the second half of play and kept the Dogs within striking distance. He scored 21 second-half points, knocking down 5-of-9 attempts from deep. Faulkner and Norris combined for 18 in the second half, but just two other Dogs scored in the second 20 minutes of play.

After trailing by as much as 14, the Bulldogs battled to reduce the deficit to five with two minutes remaining. UNCG scored tough and second-chance buckets when they needed to down the stretch and escaped by taking down Samford by seven.

Not known for their shooting from three, the Spartans hit on 11-of-16 from three while Samford finished 10-of-30. Both sides shot the ball well, over 50 percent, in the second half. Booth, 26, Faulkner, 25, and Norris, 14, combined for 65 of the team's 82 points. Cade Norris went 2-of-2 from the field and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. 

The Bulldogs are back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 7, when they return to the Pete Hanna Center to host Western Carolina. The Catamounts are 5-8 on the season, but are coming off a win at Furman in their game today.

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