Samford clinched a Southern Conference men’s basketball championship on Wednesday night. Now, we’ll see if the Bulldogs have to share that title.
First things first, Samford took the lead for good with about six minutes left and gritted out 75-70 victory at Chattanooga. Jermaine Marshall was the catalyst with 25 points and eight rebounds.
Now the attention turns toward Saturday’s regular season ending showdown with Furman. If Samford wins, the Bulldogs (21-9 overall, 15-2 SoCon) will claim sole possession of the title. A Samford loss could muddy things up considerably. Furman and UNC Greensboro each enter Saturday with a 14-3 conference record. If both teams win on Saturday, then it will be a three-way tie for first place.
On Wednesday, though, the focus was moving forward with a win. And that wasn’t easy against a Chattanooga team that is still without standout center Jake Stephens. The teams traded leads in the first half with neither team leading by more than three points. Chattanooga had a 38-37 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Mocs (15-15 overall, 7-10 SoCon) held on to the lead but still couldn’t stretch it to more than six points. Ques Glover supplied the go-ahead points on a pair of free throws with 5:51 left, and the Bulldogs held on.
Marshall’s big day also included five 3-pointers, two steals, an assist and block. Glover, who had 10 points and five rebounds, was the only other Samford player in double figures.
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