Game Notes

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University basketball team will play its final home game of the 2012 calendar year Saturday as the Bulldogs welcome the Sam Houston State Bearkats to the Pete Hanna Center for a key non-conference matchup slated to begin at 7 p.m. (CST).
 
Fans unable to attend the game in person can follow along via Samford's free Live-stream. The contest will also be broadcasted locally on 97.3 FM The Zone and Live Stats will be provided on SamfordSports.com.
 
Samford (2-9) heads into the contest with a 2-2 record at home this season. On Nov. 12, the Bulldogs posted a 59-40 home-opening victory against Martin Methodist and then recently earned a momentous 57-48 triumph versus Georgia Southern on Dec. 1 to open Southern Conference play.
 
Samford's home losses this season have come against UT Arlington on Nov. 24 and Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 28.
 
Since their critical SoCon victory over Georgia Southern, the Bulldogs have been defeated in road non-conference games at No. 19-ranked Kentucky and Bowling Green.
 
Against Bowling Green on Saturday, Samford was outscored by the Bowling Green Falcons, 40-15, in the second half of play as the Bulldogs dropped a 57-42 non-conference decision on the road at the Stroh Center.
 
Samford, which led by as many as 14 points in the first half, 27-13, went cold in the final period and only shot 27.3 percent from the floor down the stretch. The Bulldogs scored 15 points in the final 20 minutes of action and turned in a cold 1-of-8 performance from 3-point range in the second half.
 
In its last outing, Samford was paced offensively by sophomore guard Raijon Kelly with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Kelly, Samford's 6-foot-4 floor general from St. Paul, Minn., also handed out a game-high six assists and pulled down five rebounds. He drained a pair of first-half 3-point baskets, but committed four turnovers in 37 minutes of playing time.
 
Tim Williams, the Bulldogs' 6-foot-8 true freshman from Chicago, Ill., scored in double figures against Bowling Green for the 11^th-consecutive game of his budding collegiate career and finished with 12 points and nine rebounds in a team-high 38 minutes of game action.
 
Sam Houston State (4-5) enters Saturday's game with a bit of positive momentum after defeating Houston Baptist on the road, 69-57. The Bearkats' win snapped a two-game losing streak versus Texas and Northern Arizona. Sam Houston State is 1-4 on the road this season.
 
The Bearkats boast an extremely deep, balanced roster this season. Sam Houston State consistently plays 11 guys and has 12 players averaging at least 12.6 minutes per game this year. The Bearkats also boasts eight players averaging at least 5.1 points per outing, and are being led in scoring by DeMarcus Gatlin's 7.9 points per contest.
 
Senior guard Darius Gatlin is also contributing 7.2 points per game for Sam Houston State this season.
 
The Bulldogs will face Sam Houston State for only the third time in school history Saturday. The teams first met on Dec. 3, 1970, as the Bulldogs held on for a 92-87 home victory over the Bearkats. Last season, in the second all-time meeting between the teams, Samford dropped a 74-58 decision to Sam Houston State on the road in Huntsville, Texas.
 
A key mantra in Samford head coach Bennie Seltzer's philosophy is Intensity. The Bulldogs' first-year head coach always played with Intensity throughout his illustrious playing career at Washington State, and he brings that same mindset to Samford University and his Bulldog players.
 
This season, Samford's practice shorts have INTENSITY prominently featured on the backside, because Seltzer wants his players to always be reminded about what it takes to win games.
 
Seltzer returned home to his birthplace of Birmingham, Ala., on April 5, 2012, as he was named Samford's 27th men's basketball coach in school history. Seltzer played at Parker High School and went on to star collegiately at Washington State. Throughout his coaching career, he has been a key assistant at Indiana, Marquette and Oklahoma.
 
The Bulldogs' 2012-13 coaching staff consists of former Kentucky star Scott Padgett, former Oregon standout Yasir Rosemond and former head coach at Chipola Community College Jake Headrick. Samford's talented coaching staff also includes Director of Basketball Operations Anthony Saccoccia and Video Coordinator Charles Newton.
 
The Bulldogs have made at least one 3-point field goal in 636-consecutive games. The last time that Samford did not make a 3-point basket was on Jan. 19, 1991, against UTSA.
 
The Bulldogs' streak of having made at least two 3-pointers in a game was snapped on Dec. 13, 2008, against Saint Louis when Samford turned in a dismal 1-for-14 performance from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs' streak of 476-straight games with two 3-pointers began Feb. 8, 1992.
 
UNLV is the national leader in consecutive games with a 3-point field goal as the Running Rebels have made a 3-point basket in 845-straight games dating back to the 1986-87 season. Vanderbilt (837) and Kentucky (835) are the only other two schools that have made at least one 3-point basket since the rule was adopted prior to the 1986 campaign.
 
Following Saturday's home contest against Sam Houston State, Samford will next be in action Wednesday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs travel to Martin, Tenn., to face former Ohio Valley Conference-foe UT Martin in a matchup to be held at the Elam Center (5,000).

Game Notes