Dec. 9, 2011

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team will compete in its fourth-consecutive home game Saturday at 4 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs welcome the Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders to the Pete Hanna Center for the first regular-season meeting between the teams.

The game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the Internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu. The contest can also be viewed online via the Bulldog Big Screen at www.samfordsports.com. Fans can also follow the action on GameTracker.

Samford (1-6) heads into the game looking to rebound from a hard-fought 83-78 overtime loss against Mercer on Wednesday. In the defeat, the Bulldogs finished with four players scoring in double figures.

Tyler Hood and Drew Windler also recorded the first double-doubles of their collegiate careers versus Mercer. Hood closed out the game with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Windler finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds in only 20 minutes of playing time. Senior Jeffrey Merritt and sophomore Will Cook both added 17 points apiece for the Bulldogs.

Windler, Samford's 6-foot-9 center from South Milwaukee, Wis., provided the heroics at the end of regulation as he knocked down two key 3-pointers in the final minutes to send the game into overtime.

With 45 seconds remaining and the Bulldogs trailing, 73-70, Windler connected on a deep 3-point basket from the top of the key to even the game at 73-73.

Late in the contest, Samford had possession with 29 seconds remaining in the game. On the Bulldogs' final play of regulation, true freshman Devin McNeil was looking for Windler down the post, but overthrew the pass and turned the ball over. Mercer's Justin Cecil missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

In overtime, Mercer outscored Samford, 10-5, to take the final 83-78 victory. The Bears scored the first seven points in overtime and were boosted by six points from Langston Hall in the extra period. Hall led Mercer in scoring with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field.

Lindsey Wilson (7-3) enters Saturday's game riding the positive momentum of a three-game winning streak. The Blue Raiders are currently the 16th-ranked team in the national NAIA listings and are coming off a 76-73 victory against No. 1-ranked Pikeville on Dec. 3.

Lindsey Wilson is averaging 77.9 points per game this season and boasts three players scoring in double digits. Senior guard Chase Spreen is leading the Blue Raiders with an average of 15.2 points per contest, while junior guard Kalen Kimberland follows closely with 15 points per outing. Lindsey Wilson's sophomore guard Chase Cox is scoring 10.1 points per game this year.

Samford will be squaring off against Lindsey Wilson for the first time in school history Saturday. Last year, the teams met in an exhibition game held at the Pete Hanna Center and the Bulldogs tallied a 72-47 victory on Nov. 8, 2010. Samford used a 76.9-percent shooting performance from 3-point range to outscore Lindsey Wilson, 48-26, in the second half.

Lindsey Wilson is a private four-year college affiliated with the United Methodist Church in an open ecumenical atmosphere. The 45-acre campus is located in Columbia, Ky. The school currently offers associate degrees in 11 areas of study, bachelor degrees in 20 areas of study and master's degrees in counseling and human development. Lindsey Wilson also sponsors athletic teams which compete in the Mid-South Conference of the NAIA.

Lindsey Wilson was founded in January 1903 in affiliation with the southern division of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Named after the late stepson of Catherine Wilson, the college was originally called Lindsey Wilson Training School, educating grades one through 12 in a grade school on campus.

Samford currently leads the Southern Conference with 10.6 3-point field goals made per game. Against Mercer, the Bulldogs knocked down 14 attempts from beyond the arc. Lindsey Wilson boasts a stingy 3-point defense this season and is only allowing opponents to shoot 23.4 percent from long range.

Another key matchup in Saturday's game will be Samford playing at home versus the Blue Raiders playing on the road. Something will have to give in the contest because the Bulldogs are 0-5 at home this season, while Lindsey Wilson owns an 0-3 record in road contests this year.

Samford is currently ranked No. 10 in the nation in 3-point field goals per game. The Bulldogs are averaging 10.6 3-point field goals per contest this season and are shooting 34.9 percent from beyond the arc.

The Bulldogs are also nationally ranked in assists per game at No. 96, and are averaging 14.6 assists per outing this season. Samford's McNeil leads the team with 22 assists this year and is handing out an average of 3.1 assists per contest.

Samford heads into Saturday's nonconference matchup as the top-ranked team in the SoCon in 3-point field goals made per game. The Bulldogs are averaging a league-best 10.6 3-point field goals per outing this season.

Samford is also ranked among the top five teams in the conference in four additional categories. The Bulldogs are ranked third in the league in blocked shots per game (3.4 bpg), fourth in the SoCon in assists (14.6 apg), as well as fifth in the conference in both assist/turnover ratio (0.9) and 3-point field-goal percentage (34.9).

Individually, Samford's Merritt is ranked among the league's leaders in a number of statistical categories. Merritt, the Bulldogs' senior guard is ranked fifth in defensive rebounds (4.9 pg), and seventh in the league in 3-point field-goal percentage (48.3) and rebounding (6.3 rpg).

With junior Gregg Wooten's season-ending injury in the offseason, Samford's coaching staff turned its point guard duties over to talented true freshmen McNeil and Raijon Kelly. McNeil, a native of Birmingham and a standout at Central Park Christian High School, recently scored a career-high 19 points against Western Carolina on Dec. 1.

Earlier this season, Kelly paced the team with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field against Youngstown State on Nov. 12, including a team-high four 3-point baskets. The Bulldogs' talented native of St. Paul, Minn., also tallied a game-high five assists and three rebounds in 28 minutes of play.

Following Saturday's game against Lindsey Wilson, the Samford University basketball team will take a week off for final exams until the Bulldogs' next home contest Dec. 17 versus Spring Hill at 4 p.m. (CST) in the Pete Hanna Center.

GameTracker - Samford vs. Lindsey Wilson
Samford Basketball Game Notes