Nov. 12, 2009

Women's Basketball Game Notes

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford women's basketball team will play host to in-state rival Jacksonville State in the regular-season opener for both teams Friday evening at the Pete Hanna Center.

Samford played host to Cumberland University in an exhibition game Tuesday evening, coming away with an 80-43 win. Samford was led in the game by freshman Hannah Dawson with 16 points. Monica Maxwell scored 12 points and Emily London added 11 points.

Last season, Samford posted a record of 22-7 overall and 16-4 in its first season in the Southern Conference. The Bulldogs, who are picked to finish second in the SoCon this season, return four of five starters from last year's team, which set a school record for conference wins.

Samford's leading returning scorer is London, who averaged 13.8 points per game. Savannah Hill was second in scoring with a 12.4 point-per-game average.

Hill is the team's returning leader in rebounds, pulling down 5.4 rebounds per game. Megan Wilderotter led the team in assists last season, dishing out 73 for the season.

Jacksonville State hosted two exhibition games prior to the season, defeating both Miles College (76-61) and Oglethorpe (81-41). The Gamecocks are picked to finish fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference's preseason poll.

Last season, JSU posted a record of 7-23 overall and 4-14 in OVC play. The Gamecocks return all five starters from last year's squad.

Samford and Jacksonville State are meeting for the 27th time, with the series tied, 13-13. Samford has won seven of the last eight meetings in the series, including last season's 68-55 win in Jacksonville.

Until last season, all of the previous meetings between Samford and JSU had been conference contests, as the teams were co-members of the Atlantic Sun Conference (1997-03) and the Ohio Valley Conference (2003-08).

In its 12 previous seasons, Samford has an all-time record of 84-76 in home games. Entering their third season in the Pete Hanna Center, the Bulldogs are 23-5 in their new home. In 10 seasons in Seibert Hall, Samford had a record of 61-71 in that facility. Last season, Samford posted a record of 10-3 in games played at the Pete Hanna Center.

Samford has a record of 3-9 in season-openers. Last season, the Bulldogs opened the season with a 68-55 win at Jacksonville State.

Friday night's game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off from the Pete Hanna Center. The game can be viewed live on www.samfordsports .com via the Bulldog Big Screen. Fans can also follow the game live via GameTracker at the following link: GameTracker for Friday's Game