Jan. 16, 2011

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team will play its first home game of the 2011 calendar year Monday as the Bulldogs host The Citadel Bulldogs in a critical Southern Conference contest slated to begin at 7 p.m. (CST) at the Pete Hanna Center.

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

Samford (10-7, 2-3 SoCon) heads into the matchup boasting a 5-2 record at home this season, but is in the midst of a two-game losing streak. After earning a hard-fought 68-64 victory at UNC Greensboro on Jan. 6, the Bulldogs have dropped back-to-back SoCon road games at Elon 67-54 and Chattanooga 65-60.

In Saturday's loss to Chattanooga, Samford overcame a sluggish start to take a second-half lead, but the Mocs rallied back for a five-point victory in front of 3,258 fans at The McKenzie Arena.

Samford finished Saturday's game with three players scoring in double figures. Senior Josh Bedwell led the Bulldogs' offense by tying his season-high of 21 points. Bedwell, a senior guard from Hartselle, Ala., finished 6-of-11 from the field and 5-of-10 from 3-point range. Samford sharpshooter was also a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.

The Bulldogs' Josh Davis and Jeffrey Merritt both chipped in with 10 points apiece. Merritt tallied his third double-double of the season as he also pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds. A native of Oklahoma City, Okla., Merritt entered the game ranked second in the SoCon with an average of 7.2 boards per game.

Samford overcame its slow start to take a 46-45 lead in the game with 8:59 left to play. Andy King, the Bulldogs' senior center from Omaha, Neb., knocked down a key 3-point basket to give his squad the lead with just under nine minutes to play in Saturday's contest. King finished with nine points and three assists as he knocked down a trio of 3-point field goals.

With 2:50 left to play, King knocked down another critical 3-point basket to trim the Mocs' lead to 54-53. Chattanooga's Chris Early then responded with a 3-pointer on its next time down the court to make the score 57-53 with 2:26 remaining. Samford wouldn't get any closer than three points down the stretch as the Mocs knocked down 8-of-9 free-throw attempts in the final 1:05 to play to hold on for the win.

The Citadel (5-13, 1-5 SoCon) also enters Monday's showdown with aspirations of snapping a current losing streak. The Bulldogs have lost five straight games and have not been victorious since a 67-53 triumph against Chowan on Dec. 31. The Citadel opened SoCon play with a 1-0 record as the Cadets topped Georgia Southern 65-52 on Dec. 2.

The Citadel boasts three players averaging double figures in scoring this season. All-SoCon standout Cameron Wells is ranked sixth in the conference with an average of 16.1 points per game, while guard Zach Urbanus follows with an average of 10.6 points per contest. The Bulldogs' Mike Groselle, a freshman center from Plano, Texas, is also averaging double figures in scoring this season with 10.4 points per outing.

A key matchup in Monday's game will be Samford's backcourt against Wells. Wells, a three-time All-SoCon performer and arguably the best point guard in the conference, is ranked fifth in the league in assists and is handing out an average of 4.1 helpers per game this season. Against College of Charleston on Saturday, Wells finished with 26 points, four rebounds and a trio of steals.

Chuck Driesell, the son of legendary head coach Lefty Driesell, is in the midst of his first season at the helm of The Citadel Bulldogs. Monday, he will be making his coaching debut against Samford's Jimmy Tillette and the Bulldogs' precision-based Princeton offense. Prior to becoming the head coach at The Citadel, Driesell spent four seasons under the tutelage of Gary Williams as an assistant coach at Maryland.

Samford trails The Citadel 5-2 in the all-time series between the teams. During the 2008-09 campaign, which was Samford's first as a member of the SoCon, The Citadel defeated Samford in Birmingham, Ala., but Samford knocked off The Citadel in the SoCon Tournament. Last season, The Citadel tallied three straight victories against Samford.

Monday's game will determine if Samford can end its three-game losing streak against The Citadel. Since knocking off the Cadets in the quarterfinal round of the 2009 Southern Conference Tournament 76-67, the Bulldogs have dropped three straight games versus The Citadel.

Last season, Samford was defeated by The Citadel 51-50 at home, 61-57 on the road in Charleston, S.C., and 55-43 in the opening round of the 2010 SoCon Tournament.

Samford enters Monday's game as the top team in the conference in 3-point field goals made per outing. The Bulldogs are also ranked third in the nation with an average of 9.9 3-pointers per contest, while The Citadel is ranked second to last in the SoCon with 4.6 3-point baskets make per game. In Saturday's game at Chattanooga, Samford knocked down 12 3-point field goals.

Samford boasts three of the top six players in the SoCon in 3-point field-goal percentage. King is fourth in the conference and leads the Bulldogs with a 45.4 percentage from beyond the arc. Samford's Bedwell is ranked fifth in the SoCon at 45.2, while redshirt freshman Drew Windler owns a 44.2 percentage and is sixth in the conference.

Samford's Bedwell, who wears No. 10 for the Bulldogs, is not the second coming of LSU's "Pistol" Pete Maravich, but he does have some similarities. Both players feature the unassuming demeanor and quiet confidence of a scorer, not to mention the lights-out shooting ability.

Bedwell has proven to be a key scoring threat at the college level. Against Chattanooga on Saturday, Samford's senior guard tallied 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and scored 12 of his points in the first half. He also shot 5-of-10 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 from the line.

Following Monday's matchup with The Citadel, Samford will next be in action Thursday at 6 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs begin a two-game SoCon road trip against the Furman Paladins to be held at Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C.

Samford Basketball Game Notes
GameTracker - Samford vs. The Citadel