Boyd III leads ETSU past Samford 80-74 for 7th straight win

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Tray Boyd III scored 18 points that included a key 3-pointer to help East Tennessee State hold off Samford 80-74 on Saturday for its seventh straight win.

Samford pulled to 75-72 on Josh Sharkey’s 3-pointer with 56.3 seconds left before Boyd’s corner 3 made it 78-72 with 14.1 seconds remaining.

Lucas N’Guessan added 15 points and a career-best 15 rebounds for the Buccaneers (25-4, 14-2 Southern Conference). Daivien Williamson scored 16 points and Bo Hodges had 15.

Robert Allen had 25 points and five blocks for the Bulldogs (9-21, 3-13). Sharkey added 20 points and nine assists. Jalen Dupree had 12 points.

The Buccaneers improve to 2-0 against the Bulldogs for the season. East Tennessee State defeated Samford 88-63 on Jan. 15. East Tennessee State faces Wofford on the road on Wednesday. Samford takes on Western Carolina on the road on Wednesday.