Samford pulls away to defeat Shorter 61-39 Eds: APNewsNow. Samford 61, Shorter 39.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) Josh Davis hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 points to lead Samford to a 61-39 victory over Samford on Saturday.

Davis, who is averaging 35.1 percent from beyond the 3-point line this season, was 5-for-10 from beyond the arc as the Bulldogs (4-7) handed the Hawks (10-2), a NAIA program, their second defeat in three games.

John Peterson scored 12 points and Trey Montgomery added 11 for Samford, which shot 54.2 percent from the field (13-for-24) in the second half and outscored Shorter 26-4 in the paint.

The Bulldogs led by nine at halftime and didn't pull away until Davis hit consecutive 3-pointers to turn a nine-point lead into a 50-35 advantage with 8:07 left in the game.

Bryan Friday's layup and Jeffrey Merritt's free throw extended the advantage to 53-35 with 5:10 left.

Montagious Brown led Shorter with 12 points and Marqise Wright had 10 rebounds.

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