Samford’s basketball season began with a gut-punching loss at Morehead State. It was a tight game throughout the first forty minutes and ended up going to two overtimes. In the second overtime, the teams began to separate as Morehead State jumped out to a six point lead.
It seemed to be a tough shooting night for everyone as both teams shot less than 23 percent from three point range. Samford only converted on 68 percent of free throws as well. It ended up being a four-point victory for the Eagles on opening night. Senior guard, Josh Sharkey led the way with 24 points, six rebounds and six assists in the contest.
Samford got the chance to bounce back against a much inferior Kentucky Wesleyan squad on Thursday.
It was another tough shooting game for both teams as they combined to shoot 8/62 (12.9 percent) on threes, but in a game where the triples did not fall, it was Samford’s superior talent that ended up getting them the 68-42 win. The Dogs’ defense proved to be too much for Kentucky Wesleyan, who did not have a single player score in double digits. Meanwhile,
Brandon Austin finished with 17 points, Robert Allen chipped in with 14 points and Josh Sharkey set the table with 10 assists.
Samford will face a selection of non-conference opponents at the beginning of December. They will travel to Hawaii to face the Rainbow Warriors on December 15.
The Bulldogs will then face off against Alabama and new head coach, Nate Oats, at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex on December 18. Southern Conference play begins on January 1 when The Citadel visit the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham.
