Easley scores 20 to lift Chattanooga over Samford 80-75

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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Kevin Easley scored 20 points on four 3-pointers and grabbed six rebounds as Chattanooga held on late to edge Samford 80-75 on Saturday night.

Ramon Vila added 18 points and led with 11 rebounds for the Mocs (8-10, 3-2 Southern Conference). Donovann Toatley added 10 points and Jerry Johnson Jr. and Thomas Smallwood had nine points apiece.

Chattanooga led by two points at the break and opened the second half on a 10-0 run featuring 3-pointers by Johnson and David Jean-Baptiste to go up 51-39 with 17:35 to play. Samford battled back late, cutting it to 72-71 on a Robert Allen layup with 2:12 left but Jean-Baptiste and Easley drained a 3-pointer each after that for a 78-73 Mocs lead and they held on for the win.

Josh Sharkey had 22 points and seven assists for the Bulldogs (11-7, 1-4). Allen added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Ruben Guerrero had 16 points and nine rebounds.