Samford had a chance to extend its winning streak and stay perfect in conference play on the final play of regulation during its road trip Wednesday but the Bulldogs could not get a clean look at the basket, giving Furman another chance to pull off the upset in overtime.
The hosts took advantage of those extra five minutes and the Paladins scored the game's final seven points to earn a 91-84 victory over Samford, becoming the first team in the Southern Conference to defeat the Bulldogs this season. Furman took the lead on a 3-pointer from Marcus Foster with 30 seconds left in the game and held the visitors scoreless on three more offensive possessions to finish off the win.
Samford (14-8, 8-1 SoCon) scored the final four points of the first half to help cut into what was once a double-digit lead for Furman. The Bulldogs followed that up by scoring the first 11 points of the second half to take their first lead of the night.
The rest of the second half was a back-and-forth affair featuring eight lead changes. The Paladins tied the game with a 3-pointer twice in the final 63 seconds of regulation but Samford got the ball back with 18 seconds left with a chance to win the game. Samford coach Bucky McMillan elected not to take a timeout but the offense could not get a clean shot, sending the game into overtime.
Furman (16-6, 7-2) held the lead for most of the overtime period but Samford tied the game with a free throw by Jaden Campbell with just under a minute to go. Foster responded with his 3-pointer near the end of the shot clock and Furman finished the game off at the free throw line.
The Paladins finished the game 27-of-34 from the stripe as Samford was called for a season-high 26 fouls. Bubba Parham and Jermaine Marshall fouled out during the game while Ques Glover and Logan Dye each finished with four fouls.
Dye was the leading scorer for Samford, finishing with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Glover scored 15 points while AJ Staton-McCray scored 16 in 34 minutes off the bench. Parham scored 10 points and led the Bulldogs with six assists.
Samford shot 55.2 percent from the floor and made 7-of-20 3-point attempts.
Furman shot just 40 percent from the floor and 23 percent from beyond the arc but the team's 14-point advantage on free throws helped make the difference. All five of Furman's starters finished in double figures, led by Jalen Slawson's 26 points.
Samford will look to respond from its first loss since December when it hits the road to face Wofford this Saturday. The game is scheduled to tip off at 1 p.m.