Jan. 14, 2011

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Samford University basketball team will conclude its three-game Southern Conference road swing Saturday at 6 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs travel to the Scenic City for a key North Division matchup against the Chattanooga Mocs to be held at The McKenzie Arena (10,928) in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn.

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

Samford (10-6, 2-2 SoCon) enters Saturday's game having been victorious in five of its previous seven outings, including road wins at UTSA 74-73 and UNC Greensboro 68-64. In their most recent contest, the Bulldogs dropped a 67-54 decision at Elon on Jan. 8. With the loss, Samford had a four-game winning streak snapped versus the Phoenix and moved to 4-1 in the all-time series against Elon.

Against Elon, Samford's Josh Davis scored 10 points to become the 22nd player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. With 2:58 to play, Davis knocked down a pair of free throws to reach the 1,000-point mark in his career. The Bulldogs' senior from Lubbock, Texas, also extended his consecutive free throw streak to 13 straight and finished with 10 points in a team-high 29 minutes of playing time.

Redshirt freshman Drew Windler led Samford in scoring against Elon with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor. He also knocked down a team-high three 3-point field goals and grabbed four rebounds. Davis proved to be the only other Bulldog in double figures with 10 points.

Wooten, Samford's sophomore guard from Memphis, Tenn., tallied nine points, three rebounds and three assists, but only shot 3-of-10 from the field. As a team, the Bulldogs only shot 35.4 percent from the field, their worst shooting performance since losing to Jacksonville on Nov. 24.

Chattanooga (9-8, 5-0 SoCon) heads into Saturday's contest with the best record in the conference and as the first-place team in the North Division. The Mocs are in the midst of a two-game winning streak after earning hard-fought SoCon road victories against UNC Greensboro on Jan. 8, 70-65, and at The Citadel on Thursday, 69-68.

Chattanooga owns a 2-0 conference record at home this season. On Dec. 2, the Mocs rallied for an 81-69 victory against Appalachian State before hanging on for a 67-65 home triumph versus Western Carolina on Dec. 4. Since then, Chattanooga has earned wins at The McKenzie Arena over both Reinhardt 107-48 and Montreat 89-51.

The Mocs' leading scorer this season is junior guard Omar Wattad with 14.9 points per game, while fellow junior guard Ricky Taylor follows with an average of 11.5 points per contest.

Chattanooga is the top rebounding team in the SoCon with an average of 40.6 boards per game. Samford is the 12th-ranked squad in the conference with an average of 28.7 rebounds per contest. The Bulldogs were out-rebounded by Elon 44-25 in their most recent outing and must trim the rebounding disparity in Saturday's game to defeat the Mocs.

Samford trails Chattanooga in the all-time series 46-35, but has won the previous two games between the teams. Heading into last season, the Mocs had rattled off 10-consecutive victories against the Bulldogs before Samford exploded for a 78-54 win in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Feb. 10. Only 10 days later, the Bulldogs also won 60-54 in Birmingham, Ala.

In last season's game at Chattanooga, Samford's Davis exploded for 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field and a 7-of-13 performance from 3-point range. As a team, the Bulldogs turned in a season-high 62.5-percent outing from beyond the arc. Samford finished shooting 15-of-23 from 3-point range and knocked down 5-of-7 attempts in the second half.

Samford will be playing its first game in a week Saturday, while Chattanooga will be playing its second game in three days. The Bulldogs' last outing was a 67-54 loss at Elon on Jan. 8, while the Mocs' most recent contest was a thrilling 69-68 victory at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., on Thursday.

A key matchup in Saturday's game will be Chattanooga's perimeter defense against Samford's sharpshooters. The Bulldogs head into the contest as the third-ranked team in the nation in 3-point field goals made per outing.

Samford is making an average of 9.8 3-pointers per game this season, while the Mocs are allowing opponents to knock down 8.2 3-pointers per contest. During the 2010-11 campaign, the Bulldogs have compiled a 9-3 record when shooting better than their opponent from beyond the arc.

The 2010-11 season marks Samford's third year as a member of the SoCon. Prior to the 2008-09 campaign, the Bulldogs spent the previous five seasons in the Ohio Valley Conference and earned a 53-39 league record. Before competing in the OVC, Samford was a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference (previously known as the Trans America Athletic Conference) from 1989 until 2003.

During its 14 seasons in the TAAC/A-Sun, the Bulldogs earned a pair of conference championships and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in both 1999 and 2000.

Samford is the newest member of the SoCon, but already owns a pair of established rivalries with current members of the 12-team conference.

The Bulldogs have squared off against the Georgia Southern Eagles 47 times in their history, and have also met the Mocs 81 times in school history. Samford's all-time rivalry with Chattanooga is its fourth-longest, following long-time series' against Mercer (103), Birmingham-Southern (92) and Jacksonville State (88).

Samford is currently the top-ranked team in the conference in three statistical categories. The Bulldogs are also ranked among the top-five teams in the SoCon in an additional five statistical listings. Samford leads the conference in scoring defense and is only allowing 62.9 points per game this season. The Bulldogs also lead the SoCon in both field-goal percentage defense (39.7) and 3-point field goals made per game (9.8).

Samford is also ranked second in 3-point field-goal percentage (38.2), assist/turnover ratio (1.0) and is tied for second place in the conference in assists (14.4 apg).

Individually, the Bulldogs' junior guard Jeffrey Merritt is ranked second in the SoCon in defensive rebounds per game with 5.3, while senior center Andy King is ranked third in 3-point shooting percentage at 46.8.

Following Saturday's SoCon showdown at Chattanooga, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Monday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs return home to the Pete Hanna Center for another key conference matchup against The Citadel Bulldogs in Birmingham, Ala.

Samford Basketball Game Notes
Live Stats - Samford at Chattanooga