Samford sends Golden Bears to third straight defeat
Box Score HOMEWOOD, Ala. -- After a tough two-game trip to Florida, Miles knew it would have its hands full against Division I Samford Tuesday night at the Pete Hanna Center.
The Bulldogs asserted themselves early, coming out of the gates with a 15-1 run to suppress any thoughts of a Miles upset. Still the Golden Bears acquited themselves in the second half and were able to remain competitive despite the 104-76 final score.
Maiscei Grier had 18 points and three steals and
Hasain Bunnell added 11 points and seven rebounds for Miles (5-7), which has now dropped three consecutive games.
The slow start was just one of several problems that plagued the Golden Bears in the first half. They shot less than 31 percent from the field and turned the ball over 14 times, which led to 21 points for Samford (9-4). The Bulldogs led by as many as 29 points in the first half and held a 54-27 advantage at halftime.
But Miles came out determined in the second half and gave Samford a battle. The Golden Bears' full court pressure gave the Bulldogs fits, helping force 10 turnovers - double the total from the first half - and scoring 12 points from the Samford miscues.Three-pointers on back-to-back possessions by Grier and
Carl Garcia brought Miles to within 17 point with nine minutes left in the contest. Samford, though, would ultimately run away with the game down the stretch but only outscored the Golden Bears by one point over the final 20 minutes.
Matt Rose had 16 points and eight rebounds to lead Samford.
Gerrald Maddox,
Eric Halliwell and
Shaquille Cook each added nine points for Miles, which gets back into SIAC play Saturday when it travels to face Claflin. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
