Box Score (PDF)

CHARLESTON, S.C. –The Citadel men's basketball team trailed Samford by as many as 30 points in the second half of Saturday's game in McAlister Field House until a 26-7 run with six minutes left in regulation pulled the Bulldogs within five. But six made free throws by Samford iced the game and gave them the conference road win.
 
The Citadel (9-11, 2-5 SoCon) jumped out to a 7-4 lead over Samford (13-6, 4-2 SoCon) three minutes into the game thanks to a three-pointer by Leandro Allende and then two free throws by Zane Najdawi. After Samford tied it up, Preston Parks made his presence felt in his first game back since Jan. 2, hitting back-to-back layups to give the Bulldogs a 11-9 lead.
 
Samford retook the lead at the 13-minute mark with a trey to make it 14-11 and then went on a 6-0 run to extend that lead to nine points. They would not trail again in the half, pushing their lead to as many as 17 points and ending the half with a last-second layup to take a 49-34 lead into the locker room. Samford was on fire from the floor in the first frame, shooting 63 percent compared to The Citadel's 31 percent.
 
Frankie Johnson opened the second half for the Bulldogs with back-to-back layups and then Warren Sledge hit two free throws to cut into Samford's lead and start the second frame on a 6-0 run. Samford responded with a 5-0 run of its own, extending its lead back to 17 with 16:50 remaining.
 
With nine minutes remaining in the game The Citadel went on an 8-0 run, fueled by three steals and four consecutive layups closing the gap to 78-56. A Samford three-pointer ended the run but the Bulldogs responded with five more points to make it 81-61 with seven minutes remaining.
 
With 6:42 remaining freshman Ezekiel Balogun went off, going on a 12-2 run for The Citadel to pull them within 14. On the Bulldogs' next possession, Parks closed the gap to 11 after making a layup while being fouled and converting the and-one, giving The Citadel a 15-2 run during a three-minute span.
 
The Bulldogs cut the lead to single digits with 1:04 remaining following four free throws by Johnson and Quayson Williams. After a missed shot by Samford, Matt Frierson received the ball in transition on the wing and drilled a trey to pull the Bulldogs within five with 55 seconds remaining. The three-pointer made it a 7-0 run during a 30-second span.
 
But that was the closest the 'Dogs could get and six free throws by SU helped them stave off The Citadel comeback. The Citadel's defense was stifling down the stretch, holding Samford without a field goal in the last three minutes of the game and forcing four turnovers during that time.
 
SU shot a blistering 63.5 percent from the field and 47.6 percent from beyond the arc for the game but committed 23 turnovers compared to The Citadel's seven.
 
Head coach Duggar Baucom and company were paced by three freshmen as Parks scored a team-high 19 points, Balogun dropped 12 and Johnson chipped in 11. The Bulldogs got 54 points from their bench and scored 26 points off of turnovers.
 
The Bulldogs now hit the road for a three-game road swing beginning Jan. 19 with a 7 p.m. tip at Western Carolina. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with live stats available at CitadelSports.com.
 
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