Jan. 24, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team will face off against the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks at 7:30 p.m., Thursday as the Bulldogs begin a pivotal two-game Ohio Valley Conference road trip at Skyhawk Arena.

The conference matchup can be heard locally on WVSU 91.1 FM and via the internet at www.al.com/wvsu.

Samford (11-8, 8-2 OVC) heads into Thursday's contest as the second-place team in the conference standings. The Bulldogs are in the midst of a two-game winning streak and are coming off a pair of key home victories over Morehead State, 66-53, and Eastern Kentucky, 55-46.

With the wins, Samford remained undefeated at Seibert Hall this season and extended its home winning streak to nine-straight games.

The Bulldogs take their winning ways on the road this week against Tennessee-Martin and Austin Peay. Samford owns a 3-2 OVC road record this season, but has a 4-8 mark in games played away from Birmingham.

Heading into the game, the Bulldogs have three players averaging double figures in scoring in senior guard Randall Gulina (17.6 ppg), junior center Travis Peterson (12.3 ppg) and senior point guard Jerry Smith (10.1 ppg).

Samford's trio of Gulina, Peterson and Smith has combined to score 67.2 percent of the team's points this season. The Bulldogs' three leading scorers have tallied 760 of Samford's 1,131 total points, while the rest of the team has combined for 371.

So far this season, Gulina is leading the team with 17.6 points per game, while Peterson is averaging 12.3 points per contest and Smith is tallying 10.1 points per game.

Samford's senior guards, Gulina and Smith, have combined to score nearly half of the Bulldogs' points this season. The pair has scored 526 of the team's 1,131 total output.

Tennessee-Martin (5-16, 3-8 OVC) enters Thursday's matchup in the midst of a three-game losing streak.

The Skyhawks have been defeated in nine of their previous 11 contests and are currently the 10th-place team in the OVC. Tennessee-Martin's three conference wins this season have occurred in games against Jacksonville State, 70-69, Tennessee State, 73-65, and Eastern Illinois, 67-43.

Tennessee-Martin only boasts one player averaging double figures in scoring this season in junior forward Gerald Robinson.

Robinson, a native of Los Angeles, is averaging 11.3 points per game. In a pair of games last week, he averaged 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and one assist, while shooting 43.8 percent from the field.

The Skyhawks are currently the last-place team in the OVC in 3-point field goal percentage (30.7), turnover margin (-2.14), blocked shots (1.14 pg) and assist/turnover ratio (0.7).

Samford owns a 6-1 all-time record against Tennessee-Martin.

The Bulldogs have been victorious in their previous six games of the rivalry, including a 55-41 win earlier this season (Jan. 4). In the victory, Samford limited the Skyhawks to their lowest scoring total of the 2006-07 campaign.

Samford's lone loss in the all-time series was a 75-59 defeat in Martin, Tenn., on Dec. 5, 1992. The Bulldogs are 2-1 when playing on the road against the Skyhawks.

The Bulldogs are currently ranked among the top-10 teams in the nation in two statistical categories and are ranked in the top-50 in an additional two categories.

This week, Samford is listed as the No. 4 team in the country in fewest turnovers per game (10.7) and is also No. 5 in fewest personal fouls per game (14.2). Additionally, the Bulldogs are ranked No. 36 in scoring defense (61.0 ppg) and No. 50 in 3-point field goals per game (7.9).

Samford's Gulina is ranked 73rd in the nation in points per game (17.6).

Following Thursday's matchup at Tennessee-Martin, Samford will conclude its two-game road swing Saturday against the Austin Peay Governors at 7:30 p.m. The contest will be played at Dave Aaron Arena in Clarksville, Tenn., and will feature the top two teams in the OVC.