Feb. 29, 2008

CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Samford women's basketball team will play at Eastern Illinois in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday evening.

Samford enters the game with a record of 22-7 overall and 15-4 in Ohio Valley Conference play after a 73-50 win at Southeast Missouri on Thursday. EIU is currently 16-12 overall and 14-5 in the OVC after a 71-68 win over Jacksonville State on Thursday.

Samford trails Southeast Missouri by one game for first-place in the OVC with one game remaining. EIU is currently tied with Murray State, just one game behind Samford. Samford's 22 wins so far this season are a program record. The previous record was set by the 2005-06 team, which posted a 21-8 record.

Samford and Eastern Illinois are meeting for the eighth time, with Samford holding a 5-2 advantage in the series. Earlier this season, Samford defeated EIU, 86-80 in double overtime at the Pete Hanna Center.

In Thursday's win at SEMO, Samford's Chika Okoli posted a double-double, scoring 16 points and pulling down a career-high 13 rebounds. Emily London led Samford in scoring with 18 points, while Monica Maxwell added 17 points for the Bulldogs.

For the season, London leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.7 points per game. Maxwell is second on the squad in scoring, with an average of 10.9 points per game.

Savannah Hill is the team-leader in rebounds, pulling down 4.8 rebounds per game. Okoli is second in rebounding, with an average of 4.1 boards per contest.

Taryn Towns leads the team in assists, dishing out 3.8 assists per game. London is second in the category, with an average of 2.5 assists per game.

Samford players rank in the top five in the OVC in several statistical categories. London ranks fourth in field goal percentage (52.0%) and second in three-point field goal percentage (50.0%). Towns ranks second in the league in assist-turnover ratio (2.09), while Maxwell ranks fourth in the league in three-point field goals made per game (2.10 pg.).

Saturday's game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start from EIU's Lantz Arena. The game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/groups/wvsu/. The game can also be viewed on the internet at www.ovcsports.tv.