Bryan Friday scored 17 points and Samford defeated Furman 57-52 on Friday night in the first round of the Southern Conference tournament. The Bulldogs (15-15), first-year SoCon members, advance to Saturday's quarterfinal against The Citadel while the Paladins (6-24) set their single-season record for losses and were 0-17 away from home. Furman pulled within 52-50 on a Brandon Sebirumbi free throw with 1:39 left, but Friday made two free throws with 13.5 seconds remaining to clinch the win. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 20-5 lead and led by as many as 16 in the first half before Furman pulled within 35-24 at halftime. Samford was 6 of 9 from 3-point range in the first half, but only 1 of 8 in the second. Andy King and Trey Montgomery added 10 points apiece for the Bulldogs, while Jordan Miller led Furman with 11.
