BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Ashton Moore scored the final five points of the game, including a jumper as time expired, to give The Citadel a 66-65 victory in the Pete Hanna Center on Thursday evening. The victory snapped a six-game losing streak for the Dogs and moves them to 9-15 overall and 4-9 in the Southern Conference.
 
Trailing 64-61 with 1:10 remaining in the contest, Moore capitalized on a 3-pointer from left corner to deadlock the game at 64-all.
 
On the following possession, Samford's Michael Bradley drew a foul on Quinton Marshall and hit the front end of a one-and-one to make for a 65-64 contest. Jake Wright pulled down the missed free throw and Citadel head coach Chuck Driesell immediately called timeout, putting the ball deep in Samford territory with 4.2 seconds remaining.
 
With the ball in Moore's hand, the senior went three-quarter court and knocked down the 18-foot jumper to give The Citadel its second SoCon road win of the season.
 
Samford (12-15, 5-9 SoCon) put itself in position to win the game after rallying from a 57-52 deficit, following a free throw by The Citadel's Brian White with 8:01 left in the contest.
 
The Bulldogs used a trey by Christen Cunningham and a layup by Darius Jones-Gibson to knot the game at 57-all less than four minutes later. Jones-Gibson completed the three-point play, following a foul by White to provide Samford with the one-point lead.
 
Wright came through with timely 3-pointer on The Citadel end to make for a 60-58 lead, but it was short lived as Marcus Johnson and Jones-Gibson combined for three Samford points to give the Bulldogs a one point advantage with 2:42 left.
 
A block by P.J. Horgan on defense, followed by a free throw by the Rio Rancho, N.M., native on the offensive end brought the game to a climatic 61-all tie. Samford answered with a 3-pointer from the left corner by Cunningham to make for the three-point lead.
 
Wright led four Citadel players in scoring with 20 points after knocking down 7-of-12 from the field, including six from beyond the arc. It marked the second time this season that the freshman scored 20 points in a game.
 
Moore, who reached double digits for the 22^nd time this season, finished 7-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-4 from long distance. He was also responsible for a game-high six assists.
 
Sophomore Brian White topped the double figure mark with 11 points and pulled down a game-high seven rebounds (six defensive). Horgan added 11 points, after hitting 5-of-9 from the floor, and snagged four rebounds.
 
The Citadel finished the game by hitting 25-of-50 from the floor, hitting 10 from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs also held a 31-27 edge in rebounds.
 
Samford was led offensively by the duo of Jones-Gibson (18 points) and Cunningham (10). Jones-Gibson converted 7-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-7 at the free throw line to lead all Bulldogs in scoring.
 
Samford closed out the game by hitting 25-of-54 (46.3%) from the floor, but was unable to get on track (7-23, 30.4%) from 3-point range.
 
Wright drove home four 3-pointers in the opening frame to provide The Citadel with a four-point lead at the intermission. The freshman sharpshooter highlighted a Bulldog lineup that finished 15-of-23 (65.2%) from the floor and 6-of-7 (85.7%) from beyond the arc.
 
The Citadel's solid defense held Samford to 4-of-15 (26.7%) shooting from the perimeter, while C.J. Bray anchored the post with four rebounds.
 
Samford took its largest lead of the half, 17-11, at the 12:33 mark on series of buckets by Nnamdi Enechionyia and Brandon Roberts. However, The Citadel countered with a Wright trey and a driving layup by Marshall Harris III to close within one.
 
The Citadel eventually regained the lead, 26-25, when Quinton Marshall found P.J. Horgan for a layup with 7:53 left.
 
Four points by Horgan coupled with 3-pointers off the hand of Moore and Harris gave The Citadel a 38-34 cushion at the intermission.
 
The Citadel will return to McAlister Field House on Sunday where fans are encouraged to Pack the Mac at 5:30 p.m. when the Bulldogs host military rival VMI.
 
The game, sponsored by TD Bank with presenting sponsors Charleston Rental Properties and Balfour, will feature giveaways and promotions, including the opportunity to win $500 in a halfcourt shooting contest sponsored by CRP.
 
In addition to the halfcourt contest, fans will receive a Citadel koozie courtesy of CRP and a lucky few will get to enjoy a free pizza as part of the Domino's Delivery of the Game. A poster contest, with winners determined by fans, and the presence of the entire South Carolina Corps of Cadets will add to the day's excitement.
 
The Pack the Mac event is spearheaded by Dan Gowdown, a 1998 graduate of The Citadel and a letterman on the Bulldog basketball team. He is one of the founders of Charleston Rental Properties, a full-service rental property management company serving Charleston and its surrounding areas.
 
For more information about Pack the Mac, contact The Citadel ticket office at 843-953-DOGS (3647).