Dogs post SoCon win

A first-half collision with Cosmo Morabbi left Citadel center Mike Groselle with a painful-looking knot on his right shin Saturday night.

"We got tangled up and his knee went straight into my shin," Groselle said after a 73-62 win over Samford before 1,023 fans at McAlister Field House. "It hurt a lot. My leg tightened up, and I looked down and it was like, 'Oh, geez.' "

That was about the only thing The Citadel teammates did wrong. Groselle, a 6-8 junior, set a school record by going 10 of 10 from the field for 25 points, and the senior Morabbi added a career-best 20 points as The Citadel led the whole way to claim its first Southern Conference basketball victory.

It was a much-needed shot of confidence for a team that lost by 32 points at Furman on Thursday. With home games against Elon and UNC Greensboro upcoming, The Citadel (4-11, 1-3) can try to build a win streak.

"It means a lot," said Morabbi, who hit 4 of 7 from 3-point range and has made 31 of 46 shots over the last five games. "We're 1-0 at home in the league now, and we shoot the ball pretty well at home. We're excited about these next two games."

Groselle played the second half with a heavily wrapped shin, but it hardly slowed him. He added seven rebounds, two assists and a steal to his 25 points, and his 100 percent shooting from the field (with a minimum of 10 tries) broke the school record of 92.3 percent held by John Sutor and Ted Mosay.

"Did you see the size of that bump?" coach Chuck Driesell said. "It was pretty big, and Mike actually played pretty good afterward. That's just who he is, a gutty kid who really wants to win. He knows he has to be on the floor to help us do that."

With Morabbi dishing six assists and sophomore guard DeVontae Wright eight, The Citadel's offense clicked with 21 assists on 26 baskets and 56.5 percent shooting. Wright scored 12 points and freshman Ashton Moore had 10.

And for once, The Citadel added defense to the mix. Samford (3-11, 0-3) gets nearly 50 percent of its offense from 3-pointers, but hit just 7 of 29 (24.1 percent), its second-worst performance of the season. The worst was 3 of 16 in an 82-50 loss at No. 3 Kentucky.

3-Point Goals -- Samford 7-29 (Merritt 2-4, Windler 2-8, Cook 1-2, Miller 1-4, Johnson 1-6, Hood 0-2, Kelly 0-3); Citadel 6-14 (Morabbi 4-7, Wright 1-1, Moore 1-5, Bray 0-1). Steals -- Samford 3 (Hood 2); Citadel 7 (Morabbi 4). Blocks -- Samford 2 (Cook, Windler); Citadel 1 (Bray). Turnovers -- Samford 11 (Kelly 3, Merritt 3); Citadel 12 (Moore 4). A--1,023.

"Our guys were tough," Driesell said. "You have to stick to your principles against these guys, or they will get you with the back-door cut or wide-open 3-pointer. That's a matter of staying focused and mentally tough."

The Citadel led by 36-29 at the half and built a 17-point lead in the second half. Better foul shooting (The Citadel was 15 of 27) would have iced the game sooner.