Game Notes
SoCon Release
Samford Media Guide

ELON, N.C. – Mere days after facing first-place Davidson on the road, the Samford University basketball team will continue its arduous Southern Conference road trip Saturday at 6 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs meet the Elon Phoenix, yet another opponent in the midst of a season-best winning streak, at Alumni Gym (1,607).
 
The game will be aired locally on the radio at ESPN 97.3 FM The Zone. Fans will also be able to follow along on the Internet via Live Stats.
 
Samford (7-14, 5-3 SoCon) heads into Saturday's contest looking to bounce back from consecutive road losses at UNCG, 66-64, and Davidson, 71-51. After opening their SoCon road schedule with back-to-back victories at College of Charleston and The Citadel, the Bulldogs are now 2-2 in league road games.
 
In Thursday's defeat at Davidson, Samford only trailed the Wildcats, 25-24, at the half before the Wildcats exploded to shoot over 50 percent from the field in the second period. Davidson outscored the Bulldogs, 46-27, in the final 20 minutes of play and earned their fifth straight victory.
 
Samford finished Thursday's contest with three players scoring in double figures. Sophomore Tyler Hood and true freshman Tim Williams both finished with 12 points, while Raijon Kelly added 10 points, a game-high seven assists and two steals. Kelly, with his double-digit scoring performance, continued his season-long streak of scoring at least 10 points in all 21 games.
 
As a team, Samford shot 41.3 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range, but was only 9-of-15 from the free-throw line. Conversely, Davidson, which is the No. 1-ranked free-throw shooting team in the nation, finished 20-of-23 from the line for an 87-percent mark.
 
The Bulldogs only committed 10 turnovers at Davidson, but were out-rebounded by the Wildcats, 33-23, including 9-6 on the offensive boards. Samford's Connor Miller scored eight points and drained a pair of deep 3-point baskets. The Bulldogs' sophomore guard also pulled down four rebounds.
 
Samford enters Saturday's key SoCon matchup as the second-place team in the North Division and could pick up some huge midseason momentum with a victory at Elon (14-7, 7-2 SoCon).
 
Elon, the first-place team in the SoCon North Division, is in the midst of a six-game winning streak. The Phoenix has not been defeated since Jan. 12 when Elon dropped an 80-70 decision at Appalachian State. Since then, the Phoenix has posted consecutive victories against Western Carolina, Furman, Chattanooga, The Citadel and UNCG.
 
So far this season, Elon has compiled a stellar 8-2 record when playing at home in Alumni Gym. The Phoenix's two home losses this season came against College of Charleston, 56-54, on Dec. 1 and Princeton on Jan. 5, 74-64.
 
Elon enters the contest as the conference's leader in 3-point field goals per game. The Phoenix is connecting on an average of 8.1 3-pointers per outing this season and is being led by Jack Isenbarger's 2.8 per game. Isenbarger is averaging 14.4 points this year, while Lucas Troutman leads the team with 15.6 points per game and Ryley Beaumont adds 10.4 points per outing.
 
In an all-time series that began Jan. 22, 2009, Samford owns a 7-1 advantage in its young rivalry with Elon. The Bulldogs have won three-consecutive games against the Phoenix, including an 86-80 shootout victory held in Elon, N.C., last season. Samford's lone loss in the all-time series occurred Jan. 8, 2011, on the road in Alumni Gym.
 
The Bulldogs' Williams is ranked No. 51 in the nation in field-goal percentage (53.7), and is also ranked No. 167 in the nation in rebounds per game (7.1). Samford's talented 6-foot-8 forward enters the week ranked No. 122 in the nation with four double-doubles.
 
Already this season, the Bulldogs' highly-touted true freshman from Chicago, Ill., has registered double-double performances against Austin Peay (23/10), Martin Methodist (13/10), Alcorn State (10/14) and Western Carolina (16/10) on Jan. 17.
 
Samford's 2012-13 roster is not only one of the youngest in the SoCon, but one of the youngest in the nation as well. A total of nine of the Bulldogs' 12 players are underclassmen this season, and Samford is just one of two teams in the SoCon that doesn't have a single senior on its roster.
 
The 2012-13 Bulldogs are comprised of three juniors: Will Cook (G), Gregg Wooten (G) and Hamilton Bailey (G). Samford also boasts a talented sophomore class this season in Brandon Hayman (G), Miller (G), Kelly (G) and Hood (F).
 
Last season, Samford's Kelly and Hood were both named to the prestigious SoCon All-Freshman Team. Despite last year's successful freshman class, the Bulldogs' 2012-13 incoming freshman class might be just as good, if not better. This year's talented freshman class includes Russell Wilson (PG), Clide Geffrard, Jr. (F), Mike Fitzpatrick (G), Jaylen Beckham (PG) and Williams (F).
 
Following Saturday's key SoCon North Division contest at Elon, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Thursday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs play host to the College of Charleston Cougars in a pivotal cross-divisional game to be held at the Pete Hanna Center.

Game Notes
SoCon Release
Samford Media Guide