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STATESBORO, Ga. -- The Samford University basketball team will compete in its first Southern Conference road game of the season Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs square off against the Georgia Southern Eagles in a highly-anticipated league tilt to be held at Hanner Fieldhouse.
 
Samford (6-10, 0-1 SoCon) heads into Saturday's matchup looking to bounce back from a tough conference-opening home loss to Wofford on Thursday. The Bulldogs led the Terriers by as many as seven points in the second half, including a 57-53 advantage with 4:52 remaining, but Wofford closed out the game with an 18-4 run to rally for the 71-61 victory.
 
In the final four minutes and change to play in Thursday's matchup, the Terriers' Karl Cochran scored eight of his game-high 27 points to spark Wofford's comeback. Cochran, a 6-foot-1 guard from Marietta, Ga., finished 10-of-17 from the field and tied his career-high with six 3-point field goals. He also registered six rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
 
Samford shot a sizzling 54.3 percent from the field, but only connected on two field goals in the final four minutes of game action. The Bulldogs committed 12 turnovers and were outrebounded 32-22, including an 11-3 margin on the offensive end of the court.
 
Samford's Tyler Hood scored a season-high 22 points Thursday and finished a perfect 4-of-4 from 3-point range. The Bulldogs' junior forward from Lenoir City, Tenn., concluded the game with an 8-of-10 performance from the field and pulled down four rebounds.
 
The Bulldogs' Tim Williams, who was the 2013 SoCon Freshman of the Year, registered 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists, a pair of blocked shots and two steals in 35 minutes of playing time. He turned in an 8-of-11 mark from the floor.
 
Williams is now shooting a stellar 62.7 percent from the field in 2013-14. Combined, Samford's Hood and Williams finished 16-of-21 for 39 of the Bulldogs' 61 points. The pair also combined to pull down 12 total rebounds.
 
Williams is ranked No. 8 in the nation in field-goal percentage and is ranked first in the SoCon in the category. Additionally, Williams heads into Saturday's game ranked No. 15 in the country in total field goals made (101), No. 55 in total points (258) and No. 103 in total rebounds (105).
 
Georgia Southern (7-8, 0-0 SoCon) is playing at home for the first time since defeating Kennesaw State, 73-55, on Dec. 18. The Eagles have thrived at home this season and hold a 4-1 record when playing in the friendly confines of Hanner Fieldhouse.
 
Georgia Southern enters Saturday's game as one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country. The Eagles have attempted 352 three-point field goals this season, which ranks No. 6 in the nation. Over 40 percent of Georgia Southern's shot attempts have come from long range with junior Jelani Hewitt averaging 7.6 three-point field-goal attempts per contest.
 
Hewitt, the Eagles' talented native of Miramar, Fla., enters Saturday's game as the No. 1 ranked scorer in the SoCon with an average of 20.5 points per game. He also ranks 22nd in the category nationwide. Hewitt scored 38 points earlier this season against Campbell and has twice been named SoCon Player of the Week.
 
Samford has won two straight games in its all-time series against Georgia Southern and has been victorious of three of the last four meetings between the teams. Since joining the SoCon in 2008, the Bulldogs have earned a 4-3 record versus the Eagles. All-time, Georgia Southern owns a 33-18 series advantage, including a 20-5 mark in Statesboro.
 
Samford placed a pair of Bulldogs on the Preseason All-SoCon Team, which was released on Oct. 17. Last year, Raijon Kelly earned all-league honors, while Williams was named the league's Freshman of the Year.
 
In 2012-13, Kelly became Samford's all-time, single-season leader in assists as he set the school record with 151 and surpassed former Bulldog-great Ervin Terry's previous-best total of 140. Kelly finished the campaign ranked 12th in the SoCon in scoring at 14.1 points per game and was ranked second in the SoCon with 151 assists for an average of 4.7 per game.
 
Williams is coming off a stellar freshman campaign at Samford. In 2012-13, he led all conference freshmen in both scoring (14.2 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 pg). Overall, he finished the season ranked sixth in the league in rebounding and 11th in scoring.
 
Samford is shooting a stellar 51.9 percent from 2-point range this season and has already registered 311 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 19.4 free throws per contest this year, as compared to 15.7 in 2012-13.
 
The Bulldogs are also averaging 15.7 layups per game since Nov. 23, including a pair of 21-rebound performances against Jacksonville and Presbyterian.
 
Depth will be key for Samford in SoCon play this year. Last season, in Head Coach Bennie Seltzer's first year at the helm of the Bulldogs, Samford only played a rotation of seven, possibly eight players. This year, Seltzer possesses an abundance of talent at his disposal as he boasts 16 highly-touted players on the Bulldogs' roster.
 
Following Saturday's road game at Georgia Southern, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Thursday at 6 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs continue SoCon road play in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn., against the Chattanooga Mocs in a Southern Rail Rivalry contest to be held at The McKenzie Arena.

Live Stats
Samford Game Notes
Updated SoCon Release
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