Game Notes
Samford Media Guide
SoCon Tournament Bracket

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – It will be deja vu all over again for the Samford University basketball team Friday as the Bulldogs face the Furman Paladins in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament for a third straight season. The Bulldogs' SoCon Tournament opener will be held at 1 p.m. (CST) at the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville, N.C.
 
The game will be aired locally on the radio at ESPN 97.3 FM The Zone. Fans will also be able to watch live via the Internet on ESPN3 and Live Stats.
 
Samford (11-20), the No. 5 seed in this week's 12-team tournament, will look to bounce back from a pair of recent hard-fought overtime losses at Appalachian State (70-67 in 2OT) and Western Carolina (56-54 in OT).
 
The Bulldogs' arduous road trip last week marked the first time in over 16 years that Samford competed in consecutive overtime contests, dating back to Jan. 23 and 25, 1997, when the Bulldogs played extra time against Georgia State and Mercer.
 
Samford finished the regular season with a 9-9 SoCon record and a 7-6 mark at home. When competing away from Birmingham, Ala., this year, the Bulldogs own a 4-14 record.
 
Furman (6-23) has been plagued with a rash of critical injuries this season and enters the SoCon Tournament in the midst of a 10-game losing streak, dating back to Jan. 31.
 
The Paladins only boasts one player this season who has been healthy enough to compete in all 29 of the team's games. Furman's Colin Reddick has started in every one of the team's contests and is averaging a team-best 12.8 points per game.
 
Reddick, the Paladins' 6-foot-9 power forward, is also averaging 6.2 rebounds per outing. Point guard Stephen Croone has tallied a team-high 102 assists this season.
 
Samford trails in its all-time series with Furman by a count of 4-9, but registered a historic 64-53 win over the Paladins earlier this season in Greenville, S.C., Feb. 16.
 
The Bulldogs' triumph proved to be their first in Timmons Arena and their second in three games versus Furman. Furman's last win was a 75-66 decision in the 2012 SoCon Tournament.
 
In last year's SoCon-opening matchup against the Paladins, Samford finished the contest with three players scoring in double figures, but only connected on 2-of-20 attempts from 3-point range. The Bulldogs' 10-percent shooting mark from beyond the arc was its worst total of the 2011-12 season.
 
Tyler Hood scored 13 points last year and turned in a 6-of-10 shooting performance from the field. He also added three rebounds and a pair of assists. Raijon Kelly chipped in with 10 points, four rebounds and an assist. The Bulldogs' native of St. Paul, Minn., finished 4-of-10 from the field, but 0-for-5 from 3-point range.
 
Furman led last season's game by as many as 14 points in the second half and held a 64-50 advantage with 8:21 remaining. Following a basket from Branson Sebirumbi with 8:21 left to play, the Paladins led by a score of 64-50.
 
Samford then used a jumper from Will Cook, a post-move bucket from Drew Windler and a pair of free throws from Kelly to trim the Paladins' lead to 64-58 with 4:28 remaining in the game.
 
After trading baskets for a few possessions, the Bulldogs' Jeffrey Merritt drove down the lane and connected on a left-hand layup to help Samford pull within four points, 68-64, with 1:16 left to play.
 
On Furman's ensuing possession after Samford cut its lead to 68-64, the Paladins' Charlie Reddick knocked down a pair of free throws. Down by six with less than a minute to play, the Bulldogs missed a deep 3-point attempt from Windler and were then forced to foul for the remainder of the game.
 
Furman closed out the contest with seven straight free throws and led by as many as 11 points before Kelly tallied the final points of the game with an uncontested layup at the three-second mark.
 
Samford is in the midst of its fifth season as a member of the SoCon and the Bulldogs have played a total of six games in the SoCon Tournament.
 
Including Friday's matchup, Samford will have squared off against Furman in four of its seven all-time SoCon Tournament games. The Bulldogs have met the Paladins in the first round of play in each of the last three seasons (2011, 2012 and 2013).
 
Samford owns a 2-4 all-time record in SoCon play and is 1-2 against Furman. Since defeating the Paladins in the first round in 2009, 57-52, the Bulldogs have dropped consecutive SoCon Tournament-opening contests to Furman in 2011 (61-48) and 2012 (75-66).
 
In four postseasons as a member of the SoCon, Samford has compiled a 1-2 record against Furman, a 1-1 mark with The Citadel and an 0-1 record versus Chattanooga.
 
Samford's Tim Williams was named the SoCon's Freshman of the Year Tuesday as the Bulldogs' talented forward from Chicago, Ill., swept the honor in both the coaches and media polls. Kelly also earned prestigious All-SoCon accolades, while Clide Geffrard, Jr., joined Williams on the conference's all-freshman team.
 
Williams, the Bulldogs' 6-foot-8 true freshman, led all SoCon newcomers in both scoring
(14.2 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg) this season. He also ranks third amongst all players in field-goal percentage (.541), fifth in blocked shots (1.1 bpg) and sixth in steals (1.4 spg).
 
Williams averaged 35.2 minutes per game, the third-highest average among all SoCon performers in 2013.
 
Kelly, Samford's talented native of St. Paul, Minn., is ranked 10th in the conference in scoring at 14.5 points per game and second in the SoCon with 4.7 assists per outing.
 
In SoCon play this season, 12 of the Bulldogs' 18 games were decided by five points or less. Samford's record in those close games is 5-7.
 
The winner of Friday's opening-round contest will advance to Saturday's quarterfinal matchup against the No. 4-seeded Appalachian State Mountaineers. The game is slated to begin at 1:30 p.m. (CST) and will be held at the U.S. Cellular Center.

Game Notes
Samford Media Guide
SoCon Tournament Bracket