BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- — Alex Wilkins' 28 points helped Furman defeat Samford 77-73 on Wednesday.

Wilkins was 11-of-20 shooting and added five assists for the Paladins (13-5, 4-1 Southern Conference). Charles Johnston scored nine points and added 14 rebounds before fouling out. Cole Bowser, Ben Vander Wal, Eddrin Bronson and Abijah Franklin all scored eight points each.

Dylan Faulkner led the Bulldogs (9-9, 2-3) in scoring, finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Will Shaver added 15 points and two blocks for Samford off the bench. Jadin Booth finished with 12 points, five assists and two steals.

The game was tied 40-40 at the half, with the Bulldogs going on a 9-0 run and the Paladins going on a 8-1 run. The Paladins never trailed in the second half after opening on a 10-2 run. The Bulldogs got the deficit to a point with 4:33 remaining before the gap opened back up.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.