Sharkey's big night leads Samford in 92-72 victory
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Josh Sharkey scored 22 points, had 10 assists and made eight steals and Samford defeated Jacksonville State 92-72 on Friday night.
Sharkey was 5 of 8 from the field and hit 10 of 11 free throws in leading five Bulldogs (2-0) in double-figure scoring. Ruben Guerrero had 14 points, Brandon Austin and Myron Gordon 13 each and Robert Allen 11. Samford shot 55 percent and made 10 of 18 from the arc, led by three from Austin, who had a team-leading seven rebounds.
Samford made 13 steals and turned 18 turnovers into 29 points.
Jason Burnell scored 16 points, Ty Hudson and Marlon Hunter 13 each and Christian Cunningham 10 for the Gamecocks, who shot 39 percent in their season opener.
The Bulldogs went on a 22-5 run over a 5 ½-minute span of the first half to take a 25-point lead and led comfortably the rest of the way.
