CHARLESTON, S.C. -Â Three Bulldogs scored at least 18 points and The Citadel made 13 three-pointers, but Samford pulled away late and grabbed a 95-86 victory at McAlister Field House on Monday night. Junior
Warren Sledge matched his career-high with 20 points and senior
Derrick Henry poured in 22 points in the loss.
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The Citadel broke the program record for total threes made in a single season on Monday. Head coach
Duggar Baucom's Bulldogs have already made 294 treys in his first season at the helm with at least seven games remaining on the schedule.
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Sledge accounted for four of The Citadel's 13 triples against Samford and his timely buckets propelled his team to a second-half lead. The junior has made at least one trifecta in 22 consecutive games and his effort gave The Citadel a chance to come away with a win late.
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In the paint,
Zane Najdawi added 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting and recorded four blocks. He has 46 total blocks during the 2015-16 campaign thus far and needs just one more swat to set a school record for blocks in a season by a freshman.
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Samford saw five players reach double figures led by Wyatt Walker, who put together a 22-point, 11-rebound performance to help his squad power past The Citadel. In a game that featured 17 lead changes, Samford held an edge for most of the first half and took a slim 42-40 advantage into halftime. The visiting Bulldogs shot 60.7 percent in the opening frame.
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To open the second half, Sledge made back-to-back treys to push The Citadel in front 46-42 with 18:12 remaining. The two teams matched each other bucket-for-bucket until Henry caught fire at the 7:25 mark. He followed a trey from the wing with another three-pointer on the next offensive possession. After two free throws less than a minute later, Henry's strong sequence gave his team a 70-66 lead.
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Samford responded with efficient offense, scoring on 10 consecutive possessions to down The Citadel in the final minutes. Walker scored 10 points in the last 3:35 of game clock to help Samford stave off Baucom and company and secure a nine-point road win.
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After Monday's defeat, The Citadel travels to Furman on Thursday and Wofford on Saturday. For all the latest on The Citadel basketball, followÂ
@CitadelHoops and stay tuned to CitadelSports.com.
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