Jan. 21, 2009

ELON, N.C. - The Samford University basketball team will attempt to win its third-straight Southern Conference game in eight days Thursday as the Bulldogs square off against the Elon Phoenix at 6 p.m. (CST) in Alumni Gym (1,558).

Fans unable to attend the matchup in person can sign up for Elon's Phoenix All Access which will stream the game live at www.elonphoenix.com.

Samford (8-8, 3-4 SoCon) enters the matchup having won its previous two home conference games against Western Carolina 76-64 and Appalachian State 68-56. With their win against Appalachian State on Saturday, the Bulldogs improved their home record to 7-1.

In the victory, Samford's Trey Montgomery scored a career-high 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-4 guard from Destrehan, La., tallied 17 of his game-high 25 points in the second half and was 6-for-10 in the final period.

Montgomery helped spark a critical 14-2 run midway through the half and with 9:30 remaining, he scored nine of the Bulldogs' 14 points to give Samford a 55-46 lead with 4:43 left to play. Montgomery capped the 14-2 run with a thunderous two-handed dunk following one of his season-high four steals.

Thursday's contest will mark the beginning of a two-game road swing for the Bulldogs. On Saturday, Samford is scheduled to conclude its road trip with a 1 p.m. (CST) matchup against the UNC Greensboro Spartans in Fleming Gym (1,833). So far this season, the Bulldogs have compiled a 1-7 record on the road.

Samford owns a near-perfect 7-1 record when playing in the friendly confines of the Pete Hanna Center. At home, the Bulldogs are averaging 67.4 points per game and are shooting 51.9 percent from the field (39.4 from 3-point range).

Conversely, Samford is only scoring 53.1 points per road contest. The Bulldogs are only shooting 39.8 percent from the floor (32.4 from 3-point range) when playing away from home.

Elon (4-10, 1-5 SoCon) enters the matchup looking to snap its current six-game losing streak. The Phoenix has been defeated in consecutive games against Maryland, Navy, Appalachian State, Western Carolina, Davidson and UNC Greensboro, and has not been victorious since a 79-76 overtime victory against Lipscomb on Dec. 22.

The Phoenix's Ola Atoyebi heads into the game as the team's leading scorer and top rebounder. Elon's 6-foot-8 senior forward from Chicago, Ill., is averaging 14.5 points and six rebounds per contest. The Phoenix's second-leading scorer this season is senior guard Brett James who is tallying an average of 13.6 points per game.

Thursday's matchup between Samford and Elon will be the teams' first all-time meeting. The Bulldogs are 3-4 against SoCon opponents this season, while the Phoenix has turned in a 1-5 mark in league play.

Samford is currently tied for third place in the North Division of the SoCon standings, while Elon is ranked sixth in the division.

In Samford's last three games against SoCon-opponents College of Charleston, Western Carolina and Appalachian State, the Bulldogs have scored at an average of 72.7 points per contest. Prior to its last three games, Samford was only averaging 57.4 points per outing.

Therefore, in the Bulldogs' three most recent outings they are scoring at a clip of 15.3 more points per game.

Samford's Montgomery has played a large role in the Bulldogs' recent scoring surge. Prior to the previous three games, Montgomery was only averaging 9.0 points and 6.5 field-goal attempts per game. Since then, Samford's high-flying point guard has been scoring 20 points per contest and is averaging 13 field-goal attempts per game.

The Bulldogs are ranked first in the conference in scoring defense and are also ranked among the top-five teams in the league in an additional eight categories.

Samford is the top-ranked team in the SoCon in scoring defense (62.6 ppg) and is the second-ranked squad in field-goal percentage (45.8). The Bulldogs are also ranked third in rebounding defense (33.1 pg) and are ranked fourth in both field-goal percentage defense (43.9) and assist/turnover ratio (1.0).

Additionally, Samford is ranked fifth in 3-point field-goal percentage (35.8), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (35.0), turnover margin (+0.06) and 3-point field goals made per game (7.8).

Individually, Samford boasts the top-ranked free-throw shooter and the second-ranked 3-point shooter in the SoCon. Sophomore Josh Bedwell leads the league in free-throw shooting with a 92.1 percentage and Montgomery is ranked second in 3-point shooting with a 45.9 percent average.

Following Thursday's contest at Elon, the Bulldogs will continue their two-game road swing Saturday at 1 p.m. (CST) against the UNC Greensboro Spartans in Fleming Gym (1,833).

Samford Basketball Game Notes
Live Stats - Samford at Elon