Dec. 6, 2006

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford women's basketball team will open Ohio Valley Conference play Thursday night at Jacksonville State.

Samford enters the game with a record of 4-3 overall after a 66-60 loss at Iowa on Sunday. The Gamecocks are currently 3-6 overall after a 64-58 loss to Troy on Saturday.

Samford and Jacksonville State will be meeting for the 22nd time in women's basketball, with JSU holding a 12-9 advantage in the series. Last season, Samford won all three meetings. The Bulldogs took both regular-season meetings by scores of 78-61 (at Samford) and 82-46 (at JSU). The teams also met in a first-round game in the OVC Tournament at Seibert Hall, with Samford taking a 58-56 win.

Samford is led in scoring by Alex Munday, averaging 10.7 points per game. Veronica Pike is the team-leader in rebounds, pulling down 5.1 rebounds per game. Chelsee Insell currently leads the team in assists, dishing out 2.0 assists per contest.

Thursday's game is scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. tip-off from Pete Mathews Coliseum. The game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.al.com/wvsu or www.samfordsports.com.