Dec. 4, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team will play its second Southern Conference game in three days Saturday as the Bulldogs welcome the UNC Greensboro Spartans to the Pete Hanna Center for a 1 p.m. (CST) matchup.

Fans unable to attend the game in person can listen live to Samford's broadcast on WVSU 91.1 FM or via the Internet at www.samford.edu/groups/wvsu. Live stats will also be available through GameTracker on SamfordSports.com.

Saturday's contest will be the first game of a Samford doubleheader at the Pete Hanna Center. Following Samford's matchup with UNC Greensboro, the Bulldogs' women's team will face off against Wofford at 4 p.m.

The Athletic Department and SAAC will be hosting a canned food drive at the games to benefit the Jimmie Hale Mission. For those who bring at least three cans of food, they will receive half price on an adult ticket or free child's admission. Tickets for the doubleheader are $10 adults and $5 children.

Items needed include: canned vegetables, canned fruit, canned soups, instant potatoes, boxed cereal and rice.

Samford (2-5, 1-0 SoCon) heads into Saturday's contest looking to build on its positive momentum from a decisive 55-31 home victory against Elon on Thursday. In their dominant SoCon-opening win, the Bulldogs limited Elon to its lowest scoring output in 28 years. The last time that Elon was held to fewer than 32 points was a 25-23 loss to North Carolina A&T during the 1970-71 campaign.

Samford's Josh Davis led the team with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field. All four of his buckets came from beyond the arc and he connected on his first four shots. The Bulldogs' junior sharpshooter from Lubbock, Texas, is averaging 17.3 points per game in Samford's last three contests and has connected on 50 percent (12-of-24) of his attempts from 3-point range.

Senior forward Bryan Friday followed with 11 points, five rebounds and a steal, while sophomore guard John Peterson added eight points on 3-of-4 shooting. Peterson also grabbed a pair of rebounds and blocked a shot.

UNC Greensboro (1-4, 0-0 SoCon) will be playing in its first conference game of the 2009-10 season Saturday. The Spartans are an even 6-6 in SoCon openers since joining the league in 1997-98. All-time, UNC Greensboro owns a 92-107 record in SoCon play.

The Spartans enter Saturday's contest looking to bounce back from an 82-61 loss against in-state rival East Carolina on Nov. 28. Prior to facing East Carolina, UNC Greensboro picked up their lone win of the season at home against USC Upstate 76-70 on Nov. 24. The Spartan's remaining three losses were at Duke 96-62, at Virginia Tech 59-46 and at home against Clemson 89-67.

UNC Greensboro has not been victorious in the Central time zone since defeating Texas-Pan American at a tournament held at Missouri State on Nov. 17, 2007. Since then, the Spartans have lost to Missouri State, Central Arkansas and Samford while playing in the Central time zone.

Samford will square off against UNC Greensboro for only the fifth time in school history Saturday. The all-time series between the teams began in 1992 and the Bulldogs own a 4-0 record against the Spartans. Last season, Samford swept the home-and-home series with wins of 76-61 in Greensboro, N.C., and 73-60 at home in Birmingham, Ala.

Saturday's game will determine if Samford can start conference play with a 2-0 record for the first time in three seasons.

With a win against UNC Greensboro, the Bulldogs would open their SoCon schedule with a key 2-0 record. The last time that Samford started conference play with a 2-0 mark was the 2006-07 campaign when it earned wins against former Ohio Valley Conference foes Jacksonville State and Southeast Missouri.

The Bulldogs have made at least one 3-point field goal in 540-consecutive games. The last time that Samford did not make a 3-point basket was on Jan. 19, 1991, against Texas-San Antonio.

The Bulldogs' streak of having made at least two 3-pointers in a game was snapped on Dec. 13, 2008 against Saint Louis when Samford turned in a dismal 1-for-14 performance from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs' streak of 476-straight games with two 3-pointers began Feb. 8, 1992.

Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette only needs three wins to become the first coach in school history to reach the 200-win plateau. In his 13th season as the head coach of the Bulldogs, Tillette owns a 197-166 overall record and an impressive 139-92 mark against conference opponents. He is Samford's all-time winningest coach and piloted the Bulldogs to NCAA Tournament appearances in both 1999 and 2000.

On Nov. 14, 2004, Tillette earned the 150th win of his career as Samford posted an 83-59 home victory against Tennessee Temple. He reached the 100-win plateau on Nov. 25, 2002, with a 70-61 win at home versus Arkansas State.

Following Saturday's SoCon game against UNC Greensboro, the Samford basketball team will enjoy six days off from competitive action before hosting the Spring Hill College Badgers at 2 p.m., Dec. 12. The non-conference matchup will be held at the Pete Hanna Center.

Samford Basketball Game Notes
GameTracker - UNC Greensboro at Samford
Webstreamed Radio Broadcast