Jan. 15, 2010

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team will conclude its current three-game homestand Saturday at 2 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs welcome The Citadel Bulldogs to the Pete Hanna Center (5,000) for a critical Southern Conference duel.

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/wvsu. GameTracker and live video webstreaming will also be available at www.SamfordSports.com.

Samford (7-9, 1-3 SoCon) owns a solid 6-2 record at home this season, but is coming off a 78-67 loss to first-place College of Charleston on Thursday. With the defeat, the Bulldogs dropped their third straight SoCon game and their ninth straight against the Cougars.

Since opening the conference season with a decisive 55-31 victory against Elon on Dec. 3, the Bulldogs have dropped consecutive SoCon games against UNC Greensboro 73-40, Davidson 66-56 and College of Charleston. The conference losing streak is Samford's longest since last season when the Bulldogs lost four straight against Davidson, Furman, Wofford and Chattanooga.

The Bulldogs finished Thursday's contest with five players scoring in double figures for the first time this season. Senior forward Bryan Friday led the way with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, while Josh Davis, Josh Bedwell and Trey Montgomery all finished with 11. Junior center Andy King rounded out the five with 10 points.

The Bulldogs shot 41.8 percent from the field against College of Charleston, but only shot 28.6 percent from 3-point range. Samford did knock down eight shots from beyond the arc, including a team-high three from junior guard Josh Bedwell.

Samford is 7-1 when shooting better than its opponent this season. Conversely, the Bulldogs are 0-8 when the opponent tallies a better shooting percentage from the field.

The Citadel (8-9, 2-3 SoCon) enters Saturday's matchup with aspirations of snapping a two-game losing streak. Following a momentous 62-58 victory at Appalachian State on Jan. 6, the Bulldogs have suffered consecutive losses to College of Charleston 61-55 and Chattanooga. In Thursday's heartbreaking 56-54 defeat at Chattanooga, The Citadel lost on a last-second 3-point heave at the buzzer from Keenan Bell.

The Citadel's leading scorer this season is Cameron Wells with 17.7 points per game. Davis is Samford's scoring leader with an average of 12.8 points per contest.

The Citadel heads into the game with two players averaging double figures in scoring this season. Wells is averaging a team-best 17.7 points per contest, while fellow junior guard Zach Urbanas follows with 11.1 points per game. The Bulldogs' top rebounder this season is 7-footer Joe Wolfinger, who is averaging 5.5 boards an outing.

As two of the best point guards in the SoCon, Samford's Montgomery and The Citadel's Wells will square off Saturday in a critical matchup for both teams. The player who can better control the tempo of the game and not turn the ball over will lead his team to victory.

Montgomery is averaging 10.3 points and 2.6 turnovers per game this season, while Wells is averaging 17.7 points and 2.1 turnovers per contest.

Samford is ranked among the top-five teams in the SoCon in eight statistical categories. Samford is the top-ranked squad in the conference in both scoring defense and rebounding defense. The Bulldogs are only allowing opponents to score at an average of 58.6 points per game and are only allowing 31.6 rebounds per contest.

The Bulldogs are also ranked second in the SoCon in both field-goal percentage (45.5) and field-goal percentage defense (41.0). Additionally, Samford is ranked third in the conference in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (33.0) and assist/turnover ratio (1.1). The Bulldogs are also ranked fourth in the conference in assists. Samford is averaging a solid total of 14.4 assists per game.

Individually, the Bulldogs' Davis is ranked third in the SoCon in 3-point field goals made per game. Samford's sharpshooting guard from Lubbock, Texas, is averaging 2.8 per game.

It is safe to say that Samford's offensive style is unique. While most teams play pressure defense and tend to run the ball up the court, the Bulldogs use patience and precision cutting on offense to get either a back-door layup or a wide open look at a 3-point shot. With that in mind, Samford's offense is hard to prepare for and often poses problems for the opposition's coaches in the league to scout.

Since head coach Jimmy Tillette incorporated the Princeton offense at Samford in 1997, the Bulldogs have reeled off an impressive 78-48 record in games played against teams that have less than three days to prepare.

So far this season, Samford has compiled a 6-3 record in games when leading at the half. Conversely, the Bulldogs are 0-6 when trailing at halftime.

Following Saturday's key home game against The Citadel, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Thursday at 6 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs begin a critical six-day, three-game road trip against the Elon Phoenix at Alumni Gym in Elon, N.C.

Samford Basketball Game Notes
GameTracker - The Citadel at Samford
Webstreamed Radio Broadcast