Jan. 4, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford women's basketball team will travel to Martin, Tenn., to take on the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks in an Ohio Valley Conference contest Saturday afternoon.

Samford enters the game with a record of 8-5 overall and 1-2 in OVC play after a 73-52 win over Lipscomb on Wednesday. UTM is currently 3-10 overall and 0-3 in league play after a 78-36 loss to Bowling Green on Dec. 30.

Samford and Tennessee-Martin are meeting for the 11th time with UTM holding an 8-2 advantage in the series. The Skyhawks swept the season series last year, winning 64-55 in Birmingham, and 63-51 in Martin, Tenn. Samford has never won at Tennessee-Martin.

Samford is led in scoring by freshman guard Emily London. London, who was named the OVC's Freshman of the Week earlier this week, averages 10.8 points per game. Sophomore guard Monica Maxwell is second on the team in scoring with an average of 10.0 points per game.

Freshman Savannah Hill leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 4.8 rebounds per game. Maxwell is second in rebounding with an average of 4.3 boards per contest.

Senior guard Taryn Towns is the team-leader in assists with an average of 3.4 assists per game. London is second in the category, averaging 2.8 assists per game.

Samford players rank in the top five in the OVC in several statistical categories as well. Towns ranks fourth in free-throw percentage (89.7%) and she is third in assist-turnover ratio (1.76). Hill is fifth in the league in field goal percentage (49.5%) and Maxwell is fourth in the conference in three-pointers made per game (2.31 pg.).

Saturday's game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. tip-off from Martin, Tenn., and it can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.al.com/wvsu. The game can also be viewed on the internet at www.ovcsports.tv.