Game Notes

MARTIN, Tenn. -- The Samford University basketball team will square off against an old rival Wednesday as the Bulldogs meet former Ohio Valley Conference-foe UT Martin at 7 p.m. (CST) in the Elam Center (5,000).
 
The game can be heard locally on ESPN 97.3 FM The Zone. Fans will also be able to follow along via free Live-streaming video and Live Stats.
 
Samford (2-10) and UT Martin (3-8) were both members of the OVC from the fall of 2003 until the Bulldogs joined the Southern Conference in 2008. The Skyhawks are still members of the OVC and finished the 2011-12 campaign with an 0-16 league record. A year ago, UT Martin concluded the season with a 4-27 overall mark.
 
Samford heads into Wednesday's contest looking to put an end to a three-game losing streak. After opening SoCon play with a momentous home victory against Georgia Southern on Dec. 1, the Bulldogs have come up short on the road versus No. 19 Kentucky and Bowling Green, as well as at home against Sam Houston State.
 
In Saturday's loss to Sam Houston State, Samford used an early second-half run to trim the Bearkats' lead to 44-40, before their depth became a factor down the stretch as they held off the Bulldogs, 73-57.
 
True freshman Clide Geffrard, Jr., turned in Samford's best performance of the night against Sam Houston State and finished with a game-high 16 points and a team-high six rebounds. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-5 native of Pompano Beach, Fla., played 35 minutes and went 5-of-9 from the field. He also drained a pair of 3-pointer baskets and tallied two blocked shots and an assist.
 
A predominant portion of Samford's scoring Saturday was achieved by its starters. Geffrard, Jr., paced the Bulldogs with 16 points, while Raijon Kelly dropped in 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting and Tim Williams scored 12 points on a 4-of-7 performance from the field. Kelly also posted five rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes of game action.
 
UT Martin is in the midst of a three-game losing streak after dropping consecutive road matchups at Central Arkansas, 87-86, Lipscomb, 86-62, and Saint Louis, 73-51. The Skyhawks' trio of victories this season have come against Fontbonne, 84-58, Lyon College, 92-58, and Kennesaw State, 65-63.
 
UT Martin boasts a 3-1 record when playing at home this season and has won back-to-back contests at the Elam Center.
 
The Skyhawks are averaging nearly 70 points per game this year and are being led by Myles Taylor's 16.9 points per contest. Juniors Mike Liabo and Justin Childs are also averaging 13.2 and 10.8 points per game, respectively.
 
The Bulldogs own a 7-4 all-time record against UT Martin in a rivalry that began just over 20 years ago on Dec. 5, 1992. The Skyhawks won the first matchup, 75-59, at home, but Samford then reeled off seven straight victories from 1993 to 2007.
 
Since 2008, UT Martin has earned wins in each of the last three meetings, including a 101-94 triple-overtime contest in the opening round of the OVC Tournament. The game held March 4, 2008, in the Elam Center marked Samford's final contest as a member of the OVC.
 
In the Bulldogs' epic three-overtime battle at UT Martin, senior Joe Ross Merritt, in the final game of his four-year career, scored a personal-best 29 points and nailed a pair of game-tying 3-pointers. Samford's all-time record-holder in games played with 121 finished 10-of-19 from the field and 6-of-13 from 3-point range.
 
For UT Martin, freshman Marquis Weddle scored a career-high 39 points. The Skyhawks' shooting guard was 14-of-28 from the floor and exploded for nine 3-point field goals in a 9-of-21 performance from beyond the arc.
 
The 2012-13 season marks Samford's fifth year as a member of the SoCon. Prior to the 2008-09 campaign, the Bulldogs spent the previous five seasons in the OVC 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.
 
This season, Samford's Kelly and Williams have both scored in double figures in all 12 of the team's games. Williams, the Bulldogs' true freshman from Chicago, Ill., is leading the squad in both scoring (14.6 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg) this year, while Kelly is averaging 13.7 points and 3.4 assists per contest.
 
Samford's 6-foot-8 Williams has already registered three doubles-doubles this year. He has also come just one rebound shy of a double-double four additional times versus Toledo, UT Arlington, Georgia Southern and Bowling Green.
 
Samford boasts one of the youngest rosters in the SoCon this season. Nine of the Bulldogs' 13 players are underclassmen and four of Samford's top-six scorers are true freshmen. The Bulldogs' most recent optimal starting lineup consists of three true freshmen (Jaylen Beckham, Geffrard, Jr., and Williams) and a pair of sophomores in Kelly and Connor Miller.
 
At this point last season, Samford had already attempted 317 shots from 3-point range, as compared to only 332 field-goal attempts from 2-point range.
 
This year, under Head Coach Bennie Seltzer's more aggressive approach to scoring, the Bulldogs have only taken 226 shots from beyond the arc. Most of Samford's points have come from inside the paint and the Bulldogs are averaging 10 layups per contest.
 
Following Wednesday's non-conference matchup at UT Martin, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs travel to Madison, Wis., for a post-Christmas contest against the Wisconsin Badgers.

Game Notes