Game Notes
SoCon Release
Samford Media Guide

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – In a season full of firsts for the Samford University basketball team, the Bulldogs will attempt to win at Western Carolina for the first time in school history Saturday. Samford's 2012-13 regular-season finale versus the Catamounts is slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. (CST).
 
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.
 
Currently, the Bulldogs are 0-5 all-time when competing in Western Carolina's Ramsey Center (7,826). Already this season, Samford (11-19, 9-8 SoCon) has made program history by earning the school's first road victories at College of Charleston, The Citadel and Furman.
 
The Bulldogs head into Saturday's contest still holding an opportunity to secure the
No. 4-seed and a first-round bye in next week's Southern Conference Tournament. In order to earn the coveted position, Samford must defeat Western Carolina (12-18, 8-9 SoCon) and have Chattanooga win at Appalachian State (1 p.m. CT).
 
The Catamounts enter their regular-season finale with aspirations of bouncing back from an 81-72 home loss to Chattanooga on Thursday. Western Carolina has been defeated in three of its last four games, but can still earn a No. 5 seed in the upcoming SoCon Tournament.
 
Western Carolina heads into Saturday's contest boasting four players averaging double figures in scoring this season.
 
Junior standout Trey Sumler is the second-leading scorer in the conference this year at 17.9 points per game, while Tawaski King follows at 11.2 points per outing and Brandon Boggs is adding 10.8 points per contests this season. The Catamounts' sharpshooter Tom Tankelewicz comes in averaging 10 points per game and leads the SoCon with 76 3-pointers this season.
 
The Bulldogs trail the Catamounts in the all-time series, 3-7, but earned a 64-60 home victory over Western Carolina earlier this season Jan. 17.
 
With its win held at the Pete Hanna Center, Samford snapped a three-game losing streak to the Catamounts, dating back to Dec. 2, 2010. The Bulldogs have never won in Cullowhee and are 0-5 all-time when playing at Western Carolina.
 
In its victory over the Catamounts earlier this season, Samford's Tim Williams led all scorers with 16 points and also grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to record his fourth double-double of the season. Williams, the Bulldogs' talented true freshman from Chicago, Ill., went 7-of-13 from the field and added four assists, two blocked shots and a pair of steals.
 
Raijon Kelly, Samford's leading scorer this season with 14.5 points per contest, didn't have his best game of the year against Western Carolina, but still finished with 10 points, six assists and a rebound. The Bulldogs' native of St. Paul, Minn., went 3-of-13 from the field and 2-of-5 from 3-point range.
 
The first matchup held Jan. 17 at the Pete Hanna Center consisted of 12 lead changes and proved to be a back-and-forth contest throughout the night. Western Carolina led by as many as seven points in the first half, but Samford battled back to even the score at 37-37 heading into the locker room.
 
The Catamounts shot a sizzling 61.5 percent from the field in the first half, while Samford turned in a solid 45.5 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes of action.
 
Late in the second half, the Bulldogs held a slim 57-56 lead with 5:58 remaining when sophomore forward Tyler Hood drained a deep, high-arcing 3-pointer from the left flank to extend Samford's advantage to 60-56. The Bulldogs' defense then maintained the team's momentum and recorded four key stops en route to Samford's key 64-60 victory.
 
Samford's Kelly and Williams are both ranked in the SoCon's top 12 in scoring this season. Kelly enters the game as the ninth-ranked scorer in the conference with a 14.5 points per contest average, while Williams is listed 11th with a 14.2 points per game scoring average. Kelly has scored a total of 435 points this year, while Williams has tallied 426.
 
The Bulldogs' Williams, who is only a true freshman this season, is also highly ranked in the SoCon's rebounds standings. Williams heads into this week as the No. 6 rebounder in the conference with an average of 7.0 per game. He is currently the only freshman to be ranked among the top 20 in the league's rebounding list.
 
Kelly, Samford's 6-foot-4 sophomore guard from St. Paul, Minn., is ranked second in the conference in assists with 4.7 per game. He is also the fourth-ranked player in the SoCon with a brilliant 42.1 shooting percentage from 3-point range.
 
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' 13 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 four juniors: Will Cook (G), Gregg Wooten (G), Hamilton Bailey (G) and Tony Thompson (G). Samford also boasts a talented sophomore class this season in Brandon Hayman (G), Connor 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' current 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 critical regular-season finale at Western Carolina, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action next weekend at the 2013 SoCon Tournament, which will be held Friday-Monday, March 8-11 in Asheville, N.C.
 
With a Bulldog win and a Chattanooga victory Saturday, Samford would finish the regular season as the No. 4 seed in the SoCon standings. In that scenario, the Bulldogs would open the SoCon Tournament on Friday at 1:30 p.m. (CST) against the winner of Thursday's first-round matchup between No. 5-seed Chattanooga and No. 12-seed Furman.
 
With a Samford victory Saturday and an Appalachian State home win over Chattanooga, the Bulldogs would finish the regular season as the No. 5 seed in the SoCon standings. In that scenario, Samford would open the SoCon Tournament on Thursday at 1 p.m., against 12^th-seed Furman.
 
Samford would also finish the regular season as the No. 5 seed in the SoCon standings if it loses to Western Carolina on Saturday, but Appalachian State defeats Chattanooga.
 
In the final scenario, if Samford loses at Western Carolina on Saturday and Chattanooga wins at Appalachian State, then the Bulldogs would finish as the No. 7 seed in the SoCon standings. In that case, Samford would open the SoCon Tournament on Thursday at 5 p.m., versus the No. 10 seed in the final conference standings.

Game Notes
SoCon Release
Samford Media Guide