Jan. 4, 2012

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team will jump back into Southern Conference play Thursday as the Bulldogs welcome the Appalachian State Mountaineers to the Pete Hanna Center for a momentous North Division showdown beginning at 7 p.m. (CST).

The game can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide on the Internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu. Fans can also follow the action on GameTracker.

Samford (3-9, 0-1 SoCon) heads into the matchup looking to put an end to its current three-game losing streak. Following back-to-back home victories against Lindsey Wilson and Spring Hill, the Bulldogs have suffered consecutive road losses to No. 3-ranked Kentucky, Sam Houston State and Maryland.

In Samford's most recent outing at Maryland on Saturday, the Bulldogs concluded their 13-day, three-game road swing with a 75-63 loss held at the Comcast Center in College Park, Md.

Samford's Tyler Hood led the team with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field in the defeat, while Drew Windler, Samford's 6-foot-9 center from South Milwaukee, Wis., drained a pair of 3-point field goals and grabbed a pair of rebounds in 27 minutes of playing time.

Since moving into the starting lineup against UTSA on Dec. 5, the Bulldogs' Hood is averaging a team-high 13.6 points per game. Hood, a 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman from Kingston, Tenn., has made an immediate impact for the Bulldogs and is also averaging 4.9 rebounds per contest during the span. Since moving into the starting lineup, Hood is playing 29.6 minutes per game, shooting 50 percent from the field and knocking down 38.7 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.

Appalachian State (5-7, 1-1 SoCon) is also looking to get back on the winning track Thursday. The Mountaineers have been defeated in five of their previous six games and are coming off an 84-54 non-conference setback at the University of Miami on Friday.

Appalachian State boasts a pair of players averaging double figures in scoring this season. Senior forward Omar Carter is leading the team with 12.8 points per game, while junior guard Jamaal Trice follows closely with a scoring average of 11.5. Additionally, the Mountaineers' Andre Williamson is ranked No. 80 in the nation in blocked shots per outing (1.8).

A key matchup in Thursday's game will be Samford's Jeffrey Merritt against Appalachian State's Williamson. Williamson, the Mountaineers' reigning SoCon Player of the Week, is averaging 9.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game this season at the forward position.

Despite being an inch shorter at 6-foot-6, the Bulldogs' Merritt will most likely draw the challenge of guarding Williamson. Merritt, Samford's back-to-back Most Outstanding Defensive player, is also averaging 8.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest this season.

Appalachian State enters the game as the worst team in the conference in turnover margin. So far this season, the Mountaineers are averaging 16.7 turnovers per contest and own a -3.8 margin in the category. Samford is ranked 11th in the SoCon with a -2.4 turnover margin and is committing 15.2 miscues per game.

The Bulldogs own a 2-4 all-time record against Appalachian State and have been defeated by the Mountaineers in four straight games. Samford opened the series with back-to-back victories in 2009, but has since been swept in each of the home-and-home series' in 2010 and 2011. The Bulldogs hold a 1-2 record when playing in Birmingham.

Thursday's game will determine which SoCon North Division rival will get an early boost in the 2012 portion of its conference schedule. On Dec. 1, Samford fell short in its first SoCon game of the season against Western Carolina 75-71, while Appalachian State defeated UNCG 78-64, but lost on the road to Georgia Southern 73-62 during the December portion of its schedule.

The 2011-12 season marks Samford's fourth 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 currently ranked No. 9 in the nation in 3-point field goals per game. The Bulldogs are averaging 9.3 3-point field goals per contest this season and are shooting 35.3 percent from beyond the arc. Samford's 35.3 shooting percentage from 3-point range is ranked No. 127 nationally.

The Bulldogs are also nationally ranked in assists per game at No. 37, and are averaging 15.5 assists per outing this season. Samford's point guard Devin McNeil leads the team with 36 assists this year and is handing out an average of 3.0 assists per contest.

In Samford's version of the Princeton offense, Head Coach Jimmy Tillette's Bulldogs typically aim to get a back-door layup or a wide open look at a 3-point shot. So far this season, Samford is averaging 9.3 3-point baskets per game and is connecting on 35.3 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs are also averaging 11 layups per contest and are shooting 52.4 percent from 2-point range.

Following Thursday's SoCon showdown with Appalachian State, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Saturday at 6:05 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs return to the road for a conference contest against The Citadel Bulldogs to be held at McAlister Field House (6,000).

GameTracker - Samford vs. Appalachian State
Samford Basketball Game Notes