Jan. 17, 2010

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford women's basketball team will play host to the Western Carolina Catamounts in a Southern Conference game Monday evening at 7 p.m. in the Pete Hanna Center.

Samford enters the game with a record of 12-6 overall and 6-3 in SoCon play. The Bulldogs are coming off a 71-65 win at Appalachian State on Jan. 11.

Samford is led in scoring by junior guard Emily London, averaging 16.3 points per game. London is second in the SoCon in scoring, and she leads the league and ranks second in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (.529). For her career, London ranks third in school history in scoring with 1,086 career points. Samford's all-time leading scorer is Alex Munday who scored 1,603 points in her Samford career.

Senior guard Monica Maxwell leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 5.1 rebounds per game. Junior forward Savannah Hill leads the team in assists, dishing out 51 so far this season. Hill also ranks second on the team in scoring (11.8 ppg.) and rebounding (4.9 rpg.). Hill leads the team in blocks with 15 this season.

Western Carolina is currently 3-14 overall and 2-6 in league play. The Catamounts are coming off a 68-66 loss at Chattanooga on Feb. 16.

WCU is led in scoring by Emily Clarke, with an average of 14.2 points per game. Caitlin Hollifield leads the Catamounts in rebounding, pulling down 7.3 boards per contest. Jessica Jackson leads Western Carolina in assists with 66 on the season.

Samford and Western Carolina are meeting for just the fourth time, with WCU holding a 2-1 advantage in the series. Last season, the teams split the regular-season series with each team winning on the road. The teams also met in the SoCon Tournament semifinals, with WCU coming out on top, 66-53.

Since moving into the Pete Hanna Center in November of 2007, the Bulldogs have posted an impressive record in the facility. The team has a record of 28-6 in the Pete Hanna Center, and so far this season, the Bulldogs are 5-1 in home games.

Entering Monday's game, Samford leads the Southern Conference in several statistical categories. The Bulldogs currently lead the league in scoring margin (+5.9 ppg.), free throw percentage (.763), three-point field goal percentage (.375), rebounding defense (32.7 rpg.), assist/turnover ratio (0.9) and three-pointers made per game (8.3 pg.).

Monday evening's game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu. The game can also be seen on the internet at www.samfordsports.com via the Bulldog Big Screen. Fans can also follow the game live on the internet via GameTracker at the following link: GameTracker for Western Carolina game
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