CULLOWHEE, N.C. (Interstat) — Dylan Faulkner delivered a dominant double-double performance, and the Samford Bulldogs pulled away in the second half to defeat the Western Carolina Catamounts 88-74 in a Southern Conference men’s basketball game Sunday at the Ramsey Center.

In a contest that saw 10 ties and 12 lead changes, Samford used a decisive 14-2 run early in the second half to seize control and never looked back, sweeping the season series from the Catamounts.

The game’s pivotal sequence began with Samford leading 45-43. Over the next three minutes, the Bulldogs unleashed a barrage of scoring. Faulkner, the 6-foot-9 forward from Calhoun, Georgia, ignited the run with a layup. Jadin Booth followed with a driving layup, and after a defensive stop, Isaiah Campbell-Finch connected on a 3-pointer. Faulkner then found Booth for another triple, and Campbell-Finch capped the burst with a layup, pushing the Samford advantage to 59-45 with 14:16 remaining.

Western Carolina, which had fought to a 39-41 halftime deficit, could not recover. The Catamounts managed to cut the lead to nine points on several occasions but could not mount a sustained threat against a disciplined Samford offense that committed only four second-half turnovers.

Faulkner was the engine for the Bulldogs, finishing with 23 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes. It marked his third double-double in his last four games, continuing a stretch of exceptional play. Booth, a guard from Omaha, Nebraska, added 18 points, while Campbell-Finch provided a crucial spark off the bench with 13 points, all in the second half. Cade Norris just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Western Carolina was led by Julien Soumaoro with 12 points. Tahlan Pettway contributed 10 points off the bench, and Marcus Kell added nine points and seven rebounds. The Catamounts struggled from the perimeter, missing 20 of their 26 attempts from 3-point range, a key factor in their inability to keep pace after halftime.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair featuring eight ties. Western Carolina’s Samuel Dada won the opening tip and scored the game’s first basket, setting a competitive tone. The Catamounts led by as many as five points early, but Samford responded with a 9-0 run, fueled by five points from Faulkner and a 3-pointer from Kam Martin, to take a 16-11 lead. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the period, with Pettway hitting a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to bring Western Carolina within two.

The second-half surge by Samford, however, rendered that momentum moot. The Bulldogs improved their shooting efficiency after the break and outscored Western Carolina 47-35 in the final 20 minutes to secure the road victory.

With the win, Samford evened its overall record at 11-12 and moved to 4-6 in Southern Conference play. Western Carolina fell to 8-13 overall and 3-7 in the league. The game’s combined point total of 162 fell well under the pregame over/under line of 154.5, defying the offensive expectations set by oddsmakers. Samford also defied the pregame spread, as Western Carolina had been installed as a slight one-point favorite at home.

Samford returns home to host The Citadel on Thursday night. Western Carolina travels to face UNC Greensboro on Wednesday.