GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) Stephen Croone scored 33 points to lead Furman to a 74-64 victory over Samford on Saturday.
Croone did it on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 14-of-19 shooting from the line. Geoff Beans added 21 points for the Paladins (2-4, 1-0 Southern Conference).
Samford went 6-0 to start but Furman battled back to tie it up on a Beans 3-pointer with 1:26 left before the break and the Paladins went ahead 28-25 on a Croone layup to end the first half.
Croone hit a pair of 3s early in the second half as part of a 12-2 run that gave the Paladins a 40-27 edge. Samford got as close as five with 4:42 remaining before Furman opened it up again for the win with Croone and Beans combining to go 13 of 16 from the line.
Darius Jones-Gibson scored 15 and Brandon Roberts 11 points for the Bulldogs (3-7, 0-2).
