With the regular season entering its final stages, Samford Men’s Basketball is looking for another fantastic finish and an opportunity for the SoCon title.
The Bulldogs sit at 17-9 overall with an 11-2 SoCon record. The team has also benefited from some home cooking, as Samford is undefeated in the Pete Hanna Center (6-0). Head Coach Bucky McMillan loves the student support.
“Our home crowd is the best in the league, and we will need everyone rallying together to bring home a championship!” McMillan said.
In the first of a two-game stretch, Samford beat ETSU 73-62 in Birmingham. The Bulldogs never trailed in a genuinely dominant victory. A.J. Staton-McCray had a standout performance with 16 points, six rebounds, and five steals. In addition, the team capitalized on ETSU’s mistakes with 25 points off turnovers, showing the Bulldogs’ prowess in the transition game.
After the ETSU victory, Samford traveled to Macon to face Mercer. The Bears controlled the pace of the game, but a late push and clutch shooting by Ques Glover and Staton-McCray gave the Bulldogs a 70-69 overtime victory. Glover and Jermaine Marshall scored 22 and 17 points, respectively, to pace the effort, but Staton-McCray scored the game-winning and-one layup to give Samford the win. This was Samford’s first win at Mercer since 2001, making the victory that much more impressive. Furthermore, Samford’s 11 SoCon wins this season are the most during Bucky McMillan’s tenure with the team.
Samford only has five conference games left in the season: games against The Citadel, UNCG, VMI, Chattanooga, and Furman. Each game is of the utmost importance if Samford wants to solidify their position in the SoCon Tournament and potentially make a run toward March Madness. The game against The Citadel tips off Saturday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. in Birmingham.
Staff Writer (Sports)
