Game Notes
SoCon Release
Samford Media Guide

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford University basketball team will begin play in a pivotal two-game Southern Conference homestand Thursday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs welcome the College of Charleston Cougars to the Pete Hanna Center for a key cross-divisional showdown.
 
Fans unable to attend the game in person can follow along via Samford's free Live-stream. The contest will also be broadcast locally on 97.3 FM The Zone and Live Stats will be provided on SamfordSports.com.
 
Samford (7-15, 5-4 SoCon) heads into Thursday's contest with aspirations of snapping a three-game losing streak. Since earning four-consecutive conference victories against College of Charleston (16-7, 8-3 SoCon), The Citadel, Western Carolina and Appalachian State, the Bulldogs have dropped three straight road contests at UNCG, Davidson and Elon.
 
Samford's Connor Miller scored a career-high 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting Saturday at Elon, while true freshman Clide Geffrard, Jr., registered his second double-double of the season with 17 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
 
Earlier this year, the Bulldogs rallied for a 62-57 victory at College of Charleston. Since then, the Cougars have compiled a 6-2 record and are currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak. College of Charleston has not been defeated since Jan. 19 versus Davidson.
 
The Cougars' current winning streak consists of victories against The Citadel, Wofford, Appalachian State and UNCG.
 
On Jan. 10, 2013, Samford achieved a program first by defeating College of Charleston for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs' win snapped the Cougars' five-game winning streak at the time.
 
Samford now own a 1-12 record in its all-time series with College of Charleston, but are winless when facing the Cougars in Birmingham, Ala. The Bulldogs are 0-6 against College of Charleston at home and 0-2 when playing in the Pete Hanna Center.
 
On the second weekend of January, Samford traveled to Charleston, S.C., for a pair of SoCon games 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.
 
In Samford's earlier victory at College of Charleston, the Bulldogs rallied from a nine-point deficit with 4:54 remaining to earn the thrilling 62-57 SoCon triumph held at TD Arena. The win snapped Samford's 12-game losing streak against College of Charleston in a rivalry dating all the way back to Jan. 3, 1994.
 
Samford led for a majority of the first half and took a 29-24 advantage into the locker room at the intermission.
 
College of Charleston, which was the highest-rated team in the SoCon at the time with an 89 RPI, came out strong in the second half and took its first lead of the game at the 13:49 mark in the final period, 36-35. The Cougars opened the half with an 11-6 run and were buoyed by the play of 2012 Olympian Lawrence.
 
Lawrence, a native of London, England, was a member of his home country's Olympic team over the summer and scored four quick points for the Cougars in the first half.
 
College of Charleston took advantage of its early momentum in the final period and later extended its lead to nine points, 53-44, with 4:54 to play.
 
At that point late in the game, Samford's Will Cook ignited the Bulldogs' comeback with a key 3-point basket from the right flank. True freshman Tim Williams then scored back-to-back layups to trim the Cougars' advantage to 53-51 with 2:44 remaining in the game.
 
College of Charleston's Anthony Stitt was then able to answer with a driving layup of his own to stop Samford's 7-0 run, but then the Bulldogs bounced right back to score eight more points to take a key 59-54 lead with just 24 seconds left to play.
 
During Samford's game-winning run down the stretch, Raijon Kelly knocked down a jumper from the free-throw line, Geffrard, Jr., drained a clutch 3-point basket from the left wing and Miller sent the Bulldogs' bench into jubilation with a critical 3-pointer to give Samford its five-point lead and an eventual 62-57 victory.
 
On Jan. 12, Samford then defeated The Citadel in McAlister Fieldhouse for the first time and ended a five-game slide versus the Cadets.
 
The Bulldogs have made at least one 3-point field goal in 647-consecutive games. The last time that Samford did not make a 3-point basket was on Jan. 19, 1991, against UTSA. So far this season, the Bulldogs are shooting 36.9 percent from 3-point range and are currently ranked No. 55 in the nation in the category.
 
Samford's Williams is the Bulldogs' leading scorer and rebounder this season. A 6-foot-8 true freshman from Chicago, Ill., Williams is averaging 14.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in 2012-13. He is the SoCon's leading freshman in both scoring and rebounding, and is ranked seventh in the league in rebounding and eighth in scoring.
 
Williams was named the SoCon Player of the Week on Nov. 20 after he averaged 18 points and six rebounds in road games against No. 2 Louisville and No. 16 Memphis. He turned in a dominating performance at No. 16-ranked Memphis on Nov. 17, as he scored a game-high 21 points on a 7-of-11 shooting outing from the field.
 
The Bulldogs' Williams made a huge impression in his first collegiate game on Nov. 9 at Austin Peay as he exploded for 23 points and 10 rebounds in 39 minutes of playing time. He turned in a 10-of-18 performance from the field against the Governors and added three steals. Williams' Samford debut proved to be the best in at the school in over 40 years since Laymon Williamson scored 29 points in a 74-72 season-opening victory at Oklahoma on Dec. 1, 1971.
 
Samford head coach Bennie Seltzer returned home to his birthplace of Birmingham, Ala., on April 5, 2012, as he was named the Bulldogs' 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 was a key assistant at Indiana, Marquette and Oklahoma.
 
Following Thursday's huge home game against College of Charleston, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Saturday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs square off against The Citadel Bulldogs in another crucial game to be held at the Pete Hanna Center. Saturday's contest will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

Game Notes
SoCon Release
Samford Media Guide