BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Citadel (8–16, 5–6 SoCon) dropped a 78–64 decision at Samford (12–12, 5–6 SoCon) on Thursday night inside Pete Hanna Center in Southern Conference play.
The Citadel was led by Logan Applegate, who finished with a team-high 14 points while knocking down three three-pointers. Carter Kingsbury followed with 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while Christian Moore and Braxton Williams added eight points apiece.
Eze Wali contributed across the stat sheet with six points, a career-high nine rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Keynan Davis added six points off the bench, including a three-pointer that pulled The Citadel within one midway through the second half.
The opening half featured steady back-and-forth play before Samford built momentum late, taking a 39–32 lead into the break. The Citadel generated extended possessions through interior scoring and offensive rebounds, maintaining pressure on the offensive end throughout the half.
The Citadel opened the second half with a basket from Kingsbury and continued to extend possessions through offensive rebounds. Applegate later sparked a run midway through the period with a second-chance three-pointer and a fast-break layup following a steal, and Davis connected from beyond the arc at the 9:53 mark to cut the margin to one. The Citadel continued to generate interior touches and second-chance opportunities before the game slowed late.
The Citadel finished the night shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from three-point range, while going 7-of-15 at the free-throw line. The Citadel scored 30 points in the paint and added 14 second-chance points but was unable to close the gap late. Samford was led by Jadin Booth with 15 points, while Kam Martin and Dylan Faulkner added 14 apiece.
The Citadel returns to action Saturday at Chattanooga for a 2 p.m. Southern Conference matchup at McKenzie Arena.
KEY NOTES
- The Citadel forced Samford into eight turnovers over the opening 12 minutes of the second half.
- The Citadel recorded assists on 11 of its 23 made field goals.
- The game featured 12 combined lead changes and ties across both halves.
- Applegate, Wali and Marcos Gonzales each recorded two steals, with Wali posting his seventh multi-steal game of the season.
- Kingsbury recorded his seventh game of the season shooting 50 percent or better from the field with a minimum of eight shot attempts.
