Furman rallies to beat Samford 67-65

Feb 4, 2016, 10:19 pm

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Matt Rafferty scored a career-high 20 points and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 20 seconds left and Furman rallied to beat Samford 67-65 on Thursday night to win its fifth straight.

Trailing 34-32 at halftime, Furman's John Davis III tied it at 48 with a 3-pointer, but Matt Rose hit back-to-back 3-pointers and the Bulldogs opened an eight-point lead.

Furman rallied to a 66-65 lead on Rafferty's 3-pointer and his free throw with seven seconds left iced it. Rose missed a potential game-tying layup at the buzzer.

Stephen Croone scored 13 points with three steals and the Paladins (14-10, 8-3 Southern Conference) shot 51 percent, but were outscored in the paint 40-30.

Marcus Johnson scored 16 for Samford (11-13, 2-9), which has lost five straight. Darius Jones-Gibson added 15 points with five assists.