Samford Bulldogs vs App State Mountaineers
Williams leads Samford past Appalachian St. 70-56
ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Tim Williams scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as No. 8 seed Samford bounced ninth-seeded Appalachian State 70-56 Friday in the opening round of the Southern Conference tournament.
The Bulldogs (13-19) face top-seeded and two-time defending tournament champion Davidson (19-11) in a Saturday quarterfinal.
Friday was the teams' third meeting in 23 days, Appalachian State sweeping the regular-season contests.
Williams contributed five points in a late burst as the Bulldogs edged to a 29-25 halftime lead, and scored 14 after halftime when Samford never trailed. Samford forced 15 turnovers and held a 37-33 rebounding edge.
Appalachian State (9-21), which is leaving the Southern Conference after this season, had won its five previous tournament openers. The Mountaineers were balanced -- five players scoring 11 or 10 points -- but cold, hitting just 20 of 51 shots, 2 of 14 on 3-pointers. Frank Eaves and Tab Hamilton scored 11 each.
Game Information
Asheville, NC
Referee:Brent Hampton
Referee:Chuck Jones
Referee:Joey Richardson
2025-26 Standings
| Sun Belt Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Troy | 12-6 | - | 22-12 |
| South Alabama | 11-7 | 1 | 21-12 |
| Arkansas State | 11-7 | 1 | 20-12 |
| Texas State | 11-7 | 1 | 19-13 |
| Marshall | 11-7 | 1 | 19-13 |
| Coastal Carolina | 11-7 | 1 | 19-13 |
| App State | 11-7 | 1 | 19-13 |
| James Madison | 9-9 | 3 | 18-15 |
| Southern Miss | 9-9 | 3 | 19-16 |
| Georgia Southern | 8-10 | 4 | 21-16 |
| Old Dominion | 7-11 | 5 | 12-21 |
| Louisiana | 7-11 | 5 | 11-22 |
| Georgia State | 7-11 | 5 | 10-22 |
| UL Monroe | 1-17 | 11 | 4-28 |
| Southern Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Tennessee State | 13-5 | - | 23-11 |
| Mercer | 11-7 | 2 | 19-13 |
| Wofford | 11-7 | 2 | 19-13 |
| Samford | 11-7 | 2 | 18-14 |
| Furman | 10-8 | 3 | 22-13 |
| Western Carolina | 10-8 | 3 | 15-16 |
| UNC Greensboro | 9-9 | 4 | 15-19 |
| Chattanooga | 7-11 | 6 | 13-19 |
| The Citadel | 7-11 | 6 | 11-22 |
| VMI | 1-17 | 12 | 6-26 |
Men's College Basketball News
LSU officially signs Kansas State transfer Bashir, 3 others
18h
At NBPA Top 100 Camp, top boys high school recruits embrace a new reality
1d
Darius Acuff Jr. wants to be the next Jalen Brunson: A star with more heart than height
1d
