Jan. 23, 2009

Women's Basketball Game Notes In PDF Format

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford women's basketball team will play its third-straight home game when the Bulldogs play host to Southern Conference foe Furman Saturday afternoon at the Pete Hanna Center.

Samford enters the game with a record of 14-3 overall and 9-1 in Southern Conference play after a 74-65 win over Davidson Monday evening. The Bulldogs enter the game having won nine-straight SoCon games and eight-straight games overall. The nine-straight league wins mark the longest conference win streak in the program's history, and the eight-game overall winning streak ties a program record.

Furman is currently 10-9 overall and 4-6 in SoCon play. The Paladins are coming off a 74-69 loss to Georgia Southern on Jan. 17. Samford and Furman met for the first time earlier this season. The Bulldogs defeated the Paladins, 58-52, on Jan. 14, in Greenville, S.C.

Samford is led in scoring by sophomore forward Savannah Hill, averaging 13.0 points per game. Sophomore guard Emily London is second on the squad in scoring, with an average of 12.1 points per game. In Samford's win over Davidson on Monday, London scored a career-high 22 points.

Hill is also the team leader in rebounding. She pulls down an average of 5.9 rebounds per game. Senior forward Chika Okoli ranks second on the squad in rebounding with an average of 4.4 rebounds per game.

London leads the team in assists, dishing out 2.6 assists per game. Hill ranks second on the team in assists, with an average of 2.5 assists per game.

Furman is led in scoring by Lee Stephens, averaging 16.4 points per game. Melissa Liebschwager is also scoring in double figures with a 12.3 average. Katie Johnson is the team's leading rebounder, pulling down 5.9 boards per contest.

Entering Monday's game, Samford leads the Southern Conference in several statistical categories. The Bulldogs lead the league in scoring defense (52.9 ppg.), field goal percentage defense (35.7%), three-point field goal percentage (37.3%), three-point field goal percentage defense (22.1%), turnover margin (+4.41) and assist/turnover ratio (1.1).

In the latest NCAA statistics report, released on Jan. 18, Samford was the national leader in both fewest turnovers per game and three-point field goal percentage defense. The Bulldogs average just 12.0 turnovers per game and allow their opponents to make just 22.1 percent of their three-point attempts.

Saturday's game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start from the Pete Hanna Center. The game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu.