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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University basketball team will continue play in its 2013-14 Southern Conference schedule Saturday at 6 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs square off against the Furman Paladins in a pivotal league matchup to be held at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
Samford (6-12, 0-3 SoCon) heads into the contest boasting a 5-2 record at home this season. Already this year, the Bulldogs have registered home wins against Martin Methodist, Campbellsville University, Kentucky State, Austin Peay and Presbyterian College.
 
On Saturday, Samford will look to earn its first conference win of the season after coming up short on the road versus Chattanooga on Thursday, 90-81. In the loss, the Bulldogs trailed 8-0 to open the contest and then fell behind 48-33 at the half.
 
The Mocs, who have now won five straight games, shot a stellar 51.5 percent from the field in the first half and jumped out to an early 15-4 advantage with 14:47 remaining in the opening period.
 
Samford battled back behind eight first-half points from junior forward Tyler Hood and trimmed Chattanooga's early advantage to 30-22 with 6:01 left to play until halftime. The Bulldogs made their first-half comeback despite shooting 1-for-10 from long range in the opening 20 minutes of game action.
 
Chattanooga finished with three players scoring in double figures in the first half and garnered a 48-33 advantage heading into the locker room.
 
Despite their early shooting woes, the Bulldogs bounced back to tally a 45.5-percent outing from the field in the second period. Midway through the final stanza, Samford used a trio of 3-point baskets from Connor Miller to trim Chattanooga's lead to 71-62 with 7:36 remaining to play.
 
Miller concluded the contest with four 3-point baskets and 12 points. He also added seven rebounds and handed out a pair of assists. Samford finished Thursday's matchup with five players scoring in double figures for the second straight game and the second game all season.
 
The Bulldogs' Tim Williams, Isaiah Williams and Hood all tallied 15 points apiece, while Jordan Capps registered 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting off the bench.
 
Furman (6-10, 0-3) has also opened SoCon play with three straight losses this season. Since winning at UC Davis on Dec. 30, the Paladins have been defeated in three-consecutive contests against Chattanooga, 72-63, UNCG, 90-82, and Davidson, 73-56.
 
Furman enters Saturday's contest boasting three players averaging double figures in scoring this season. Sophomore guard Stephen Croone is ranked No. 33 in the nation with 20.1 points per game, while Larry Wideman follows with 11.4 points per contest. William Gates, Jr., the Paladins' true freshman guard from Schertz, Texas, comes in averaging 10.1 points per game this season.
 
The rivalry between Samford and Furman began over 87 years ago on March 4, 1926. The Paladins won the first meeting, 25-21, in Greenville, S.C., and currently own a 10-4 lead in the all-time series between the teams.
 
Last year, the Bulldogs won at Furman for the first time in school history, 64-53, in the regular season, but the Paladins defeated Samford in the SoCon Tournament, 55-51.
 
In the 2013 first-round matchup, the Bulldogs led by as many as six points in the first half, but Furman fought back to even the score at 25-25 at the intermission. Midway through the final period, the Paladins mounted a 14-5 run, which gave Furman a 49-44 advantage with 6:09 left to play.
 
Samford rallied back down the stretch and trimmed the Paladins' lead to 52-51 with just over a minute remaining in the game. During the Bulldogs' late run, Tim Williams scored four points and Hood knocked down a pair of free throws.
 
With 30 seconds remaining, Samford trailed by a single point, 52-51, and had possession of the ball. On the play, Raijon Kelly fed a pass inside to Hood on the left block. Hood took a couple of dribbles to his left and tried to find Miller on the right wing for a 3-point basket.
 
On Hood's pass, a Furman defender was able to get a finger on it and the Paladins' Croone came up with the steal. Croone then made one of two free throws to give his squad a 53-51 advantage with 26 seconds left to play. Furman would later hold on for the 55-51 win.
 
In 2013-14, Samford is shooting a stellar 52.2 percent from 2-point range and has already registered 356 free-throw attempts. Last season, the Bulldogs shot 48.9 percent from 2-point range and only attempted a total of 502 free throws in 32 games. Samford is averaging 19.8 free throws per contest this year, as compared to 15.7 in 2012-13.
 
The Bulldogs are also averaging a stellar 15.8 layups per game since Nov. 23.
 
With Samford's up-tempo offense and hardnosed defensive mindset, Head Coach Bennie Seltzer realizes that there will always be a need for quickness, agility and speed on his roster.
 
The Bulldogs' 2013-14 squad boasts 10 guards, including five players capable of filling the point guard position out of the 16-man roster. The only non-guards on the team are forwards Eric Adams, Jordan Capps, Hood, Emeka Ikezu, Tim Williams and center Michael Bradley.
 
Samford fans have noticed a much faster paced offense this season. With plenty of depth and a roster chalk-full of talented guards, the Bulldogs will look to get up and down the court in 2013-14 and create easy buckets in transition.
 
Last season, with only seven or eight players in its rotation, Samford was forced to use the shot clock and walk the ball up the floor on its offensive possessions.
 
The Bulldogs have made at least one 3-point field goal in 675-consecutive games. The last time that Samford did not make a 3-point basket was on Jan. 19, 1991, against UTSA.
 
The Bulldogs' streak of having made at least two 3-pointers in a game was snapped on Dec. 13, 2008, against Saint Louis when Samford turned in a dismal 1-for-14 performance from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs' streak of 476-straight games with two 3-pointers began Feb. 8, 1992.
 
UNLV is the national leader in consecutive games with a 3-point field goal as the Running Rebels have made a 3-point basket in 874-straight games dating back to the 1986-87 season. Vanderbilt (868) and Kentucky (865) are the only other two schools that have made at least one 3-point basket since the rule was adopted prior to the 1986 campaign.
 
Following Saturday's home matchup with Furman, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs travel to Cullowhee, N.C., for a key SoCon showdown against the Western Carolina Catamounts to be held at the Ramsey Center.

Live Stats
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Samford Game Notes
SoCon Weekly Release