Dec. 29, 2004

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The Samford University basketball team will attempt to snap its four-game road losing streak on Thursday as the Bulldogs face off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 6 p.m. (CST) at the venerable Edmund P. Joyce Center.

Samford (5-5) opened the 2004-05 season with a decisive 72-58 road victory over Central Connecticut, but has dropped its previous four contests away from Seibert Hall.

After the Bulldogs won the 2004 Mohegan Sun Classic on Nov. 20, they have lost their previous four road games against South Alabama, 52-50, Louisiana-Monroe, 63-56, Bradley, 79-59, and IUPUI, 64-50.

Thursday's game marks Samford's third contest of its current four-game road swing and the Bulldogs are scheduled to close out its two-week road trip with a critical Ohio Valley Conference opener at Jacksonville State on Jan. 4. The in-state rivals will begin the 2005 conference season at 7:30 p.m., at the Pete Mathews Coliseum in Jacksonville, Ala.

Notre Dame (7-2) owns a near-perfect 6-1 record in the Edmund P. Joyce Center this season and the team's lone defeat at home came against DePaul, 84-73, on Dec. 11.

The Fighting Irish are currently in the midst of a three-game winning streak and have won their previous three contests versus Army, 71-52, Marist, 88-73, and Western Illinois, 78-61, by an average of 17 points. After opening the season with three-consecutive wins, Notre Dame dropped its first game of the year against Michigan, 61-60, on Dec. 4.

The Notre Dame basketball team currently has three players averaging double-digit scoring this season and is led by senior Chris Thomas' 14.7 points per game. Chris Quinn and Dennis Latemore are also averaging double figures with 13.1 and 11.0 points per contest, respectively.

Samford is shooting nearly 50.0 percent from the field this season and is limiting its opponents to 58.1 points per game.

The Bulldogs are currently making 49.7 percent of their shots during the 2004-05 campaign and are shooting 42.8 percent from beyond the arc. Samford has six players shooting at least 40.0 percent from 3-point range this season in J. Robert Merritt (48.2), Randall Gulina (41.9), Jon Mills (46.7), Jerry Smith (47.6), Bryan Boerjan (41.7) and Josh Hare (50.0).

Samford and Notre Dame will meet for the time on Thursday.

The teams have never faced each other in basketball and the Bulldogs will only be making their sixth appearance against a member of the Big East. Samford is currently 1-4 all-time versus Big East opponents and its lone win came against St. John's in 1999.

The Bulldogs own a 1-1 all-time record versus St. John's and are 0-1 against Georgetown, Villanova and Syracuse. Samford faced off against Syracuse in the Midwest Regional of the 2000 NCAA Tournament.

So far this season, Samford is attempting nearly as many shots from 3-point range as it is from inside the arc.

In 10 games, the Bulldogs have taken 242 two-point shots as compared to 201 attempts from beyond the arc. Samford, which has made 103 of its 136 free-throw attempts this season, is shooting a solid 42.8 percent from 3-point land and 55.4 percent from 2-point range.

The Samford University basketball team will attempt to close out the 2004 calendar year with a momentous victory on Thursday as the Bulldogs challenge the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 6 p.m. (CST) at the Edmund P. Joyce Center in South Bend, Ind.