Boyd III sparks East Tennessee St past Samford 81-72 in OT

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) — Tray Boyd III scored seven of his 22 points in overtime and East Tennessee State ended the game on an 11-0 run to hold off Samford 81-72 on Thursday night.

Josh Sharkey hit two free throws with 3:55 remaining in the extra period to give Samford a 72-70 lead. Boyd knotted the score with a layup at the 2:29 mark. Jeromy Rodriguez sank two free throws to put the Blue Raiders (12-4, 2-1 Southern Conference) on top 74-72. Boyd followed with a 3-pointer and two free throws and Patrick Good capped the game-ending run with two free throws with 29 seconds left.

Rodriguez finished with 12 points and a career-high 19 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season for East Tennessee State. Mladen Armus pitched in with 11 points and a career-best 17 boards for his second career double-double. Kevon Tucker hit three 3-pointers and scored 11. The Blue Raiders owned the boards by a 48-31 margin.

Ruben Guerrero paced the Bulldogs (11-5, 1-2) with 16 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Sharkey added 13 points and a career-high 14 assists, but he had eight of Samford's 18 turnovers. Brandon Austin and Robert Allen scored 16 and 13, respectively.