BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford men's basketball team delivered a second-half rally to seize an 82-77 comeback victory over Western Carolina in their Southern Conference home opener Wednesday night at Pete Hanna Center. The Bulldogs move to 9-7 with the victory, and 2-1 in SoCon play, while the Catamounts drop to 5-9 with the defeat.

The Bulldogs entered the night without second-leading scorer and starting center Dylan Faulkner. The Catamounts dominated the glass against the Dogs early on, winning the rebounding battle 25-14 in the first half. The road side pulled down nine offensive rebounds in the half that led to a 16-0 advantage in second chance points. The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 18 points with eight minutes remaining, but were able to keep the margin manageable with timely buckets from Booth and a spark off the bench from Kam Martin.

Booth led the Bulldogs with 12 points in the first half while Martin knocked down a pair of threes to spark the second unit. Keaton Norris went 3-of-6 from the floor, scoring seven points. The Dogs shot 38 percent from the floor, 13-of-34, while the Catamounts shot 44 percent, 15-of-34. Once down 18, the Bulldogs used a 14-0 run of their own to get back in the game and trail by just a score of 38-34 at the break.

The second half saw Samford pick up their offensive efficiency. The Bulldogs shot 54 percent after the break and kept pace behind the scoring of Booth, who scored 21 of his 33 in the second half. He set a new season high with 11 made field goals and delivered his third 30-point game of the season. Booth tied the contest with a deep three at the 4:47 mark, then knocked down the go-ahead triple with 3:53 remaining to give Samford its first lead since the opening minutes. He capped off his night by hitting a pair of clutch free throws in the closing seconds to ice the win.

Replacing Faulkner, Will Shaver stepped into a bigger role with a breakout night, setting new collegiate career bests with 11 points and four made field goals off the bench in 21 minutes. Martin and Keaton Norris matched Shaver with 11 points while the Dogs had to get the work on the boards done as a team, as Cade Norris led the way with five, as Samford out-rebounded WCU in the second half. 

Overall, the Bulldogs connected on 11-of-25 attempts from deep and 90.5 percent at the line, 19-of-21. The Bulldogs stretched their winning streak against the Catamounts to 10 consecutive games with the five-point victory. 

Samford continues SoCon play on the road, traveling to face Chattanooga on Saturday, Jan. 10. The Mocs enter with a 6-10 record and are coming off a loss to Furman tonight.

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