Game Notes
SoCon Release
Samford Media Guide

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- In a budding rivalry that is only going to grow more intense as time passes, the Samford University basketball team welcomes the Western Carolina Catamounts to the Pete Hanna Center for a key Southern Conference showdown slated to begin Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT). The winner will take possession of first place in the North Division standings.
 
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 (5-12, 3-1 SoCon) and Western Carolina (7-10, 4-1 SoCon) both head into Thursday's game as two of the hottest young teams in the conference. Neither roster is decked with a single senior, but they are loaded with tons of talented underclassmen.
 
The Bulldogs' roster is comprised of four juniors, four sophomores and five true freshmen, while Western Carolina's squad consists of six juniors, two sophomores and six true freshmen. With time on their side, these two teams will be vying for North Division titles for many years to come.
 
Samford enters Thursday's game riding the positive wave of back-to-back historic road wins against College of Charleston, 62-57, and The Citadel, 69-65.
 
The Bulldogs traveled to Charleston, S.C., for a pair of SoCon games last week and made history by defeating College of Charleston for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs' win snapped a 12-game losing streak against the Cougars.
 
On Saturday, Samford then defeated The Citadel in McAlister Fieldhouse for the first time in school history and ended a five-game slide versus the Cadets.
 
Samford's SoCon sweep of College of Charleston and The Citadel last week was also its first since the Bulldogs defeated Appalachian State and Wofford on the road last season Feb. 2 and 4.
 
In Samford's most recent outing, true freshman Clide Geffrard, Jr., scored a game-high 22 points versus The Citadel and turned in a stellar 7-of-11 shooting performance from the field, including a 2-for-3 outing from 3-point range. Geffrard, Jr., finished just two points shy of his career high of 24 points.
 
The Bulldogs' Raijon Kelly and Tim Williams both chipped in with 15 points apiece and combined to shoot 10-of-21 from the floor. Kelly added a team-high seven assists Saturday, while Williams played tough on the low block and finished with a Samford-best six rebounds.
 
Western Carolina heads into Thursday's contest with aspirations of bouncing back from an 80-67 home loss to Elon on Monday. The Catamounts' recent setback snapped their three-game winning streak dating back to the 2012 calendar year.
 
Western Carolina opened its 2013 schedule with consecutive victories against The Citadel, 72-55, Warren Wilson, 78-53, and UNCG, 62-59.
 
The Catamounts boast three players averaging doubles figures in scoring this season. Junior point guard Trey Sumler is the second-ranked scorer in the conference with 17.8 points per game, while junior forward Tawaski King is averaging 10.9 points per contest. Western Carolina's junior sharpshooter Tom Tankelewicz comes in scoring at a 10-point clip this year.
 
The Bulldogs are in the midst of a three-game losing streak versus Western Carolina. After earning a 63-58 home triumph over the Catamounts on Dec. 2, 2010, Samford has dropped consecutive meetings with Western Carolina, 85-63 (2011), 75-71 (2011) and 79-77 (2012).
 
Overall, the Bulldogs own a 2-7 all-time record against the Catamounts. Both of Samford's victories in the series occurred at home:  Jan. 15, 2009, 76-64, and Dec. 2, 2010, 63-58.
 
Samford's Kelly averaged 15 points, 5.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds per contest in road victories at College of Charleston and The Citadel last week. Samford's electrifying floor general started both games and logged an average of 36 minutes per contest.
 
At College of Charleston on Thursday, he scored 15 points, handed out four assists and finished 6-of-8 from the free-throw line as the Bulldogs earned their historic first victory over the Cougars, 62-57. Kelly then evened his clutch performance against College of Charleston with another strong outing at The Citadel on Saturday.
 
In Samford's thrilling 69-65 road victory, Kelly tallied 15 points, a team-high seven assists, five rebounds and two steals, while playing 39 of the 40 minutes of the game.
 
Since playing at home against Sam Houston State on Dec. 15, Kelly is shooting a sizzling 60.7 percent (17-of-28) from 3-point range. Overall, the Bulldogs' sharpshooter is shooting a SoCon-best 46.4 percent from beyond the arc.
 
At this point last season, Samford had already attempted 459 shots from 3-point range, as compared to only 470 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 306 shots from beyond the arc. Most of Samford's points have come from inside the paint and the Bulldogs are averaging 9.8 layups per contest.
 
Following Thursday's matchup with Western Carolina, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Saturday at 7 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs continue their key SoCon North Division homestand against the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Saturday's contest will also be held at the Pete Hanna Center.

Game Notes
SoCon Release
Samford Media Guide