Wells scores 17, leads The Citadel to 55-43 win over Samford in Southern Conference tournament

The Citadel tops Samford 55-43 in SoCon tournament

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cameron Wells scored 17 points to lead The Citadel to a 55-43 victory over Samford in the first round of the Southern Conference tournament on Friday night.

Wells also had eight rebounds and four assists as The Citadel (16-15) snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Citadel advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinal matchup against Appalachian State, which earned a first round bye.

The Citadel took control early with an 11-0 spurt to lead 20-11. It led 27-18 at halftime, and then by as many as 18 points in the second half.

The Citadel shot 16 of 18 from the free-throw line for the game, with Wells going 6 for 6.

The Citadel also got 13 points from Harrison DuPont and 10 points from Austin Dahn.

Trey Montgomery led Samford (11-20) with 16 points. Samford shot just 31.4 percent from the field and was 5 of 27 from 3-point range.