Live Video           Live Audio
Live Stats            Game Notes

CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- The Samford University basketball team will attempt to extend its Southern Conference winning streak to four straight games Thursday as the Bulldogs square off against the Western Carolina Catamounts at 6 p.m. (CST) in a key league contest to be held at the Ramsey Center (7,826).
 
Samford (10-14, 3-8 SoCon) heads into the showdown riding the positive momentum of its longest conference winning streak since January of 2013 when the Bulldogs rattled off consecutive victories against College of Charleston, 62-57, The Citadel, 69-65, Western Carolina, 64-60, and Appalachian State, 72-68.
 
In its current three-game SoCon winning streak, Samford has compiled critical league wins over UNCG, 89-78, Western Carolina, 78-72, and Furman, 68-58. All three of the victories occurred in the Pete Hanna Center as the Bulldogs improved their solid record at home to 8-4 this season.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT
Despite trailing by 18 points, 24-6, at the 11:51 mark in the first half, Samford charged back to defeat the Furman Paladins, 68-58, on Saturday to extend its SoCon winning streak to three-consecutive games in front of 1,948 exuberant fans at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
Samford overcame its slow start by using a 23-4 run late in the first half to garner its first lead of the game, 29-28, with 1:17 remaining in the opening period. During the Bulldogs' scoring barrage, true freshman Evan Taylor scored 10 huge points, while Tyler Hood dropped in seven of his own and junior guard Darius Jones-Gibson tallied four.
 
Samford only shot 34.5 percent from the field in the first half, but forced Furman into 10 turnovers and scored 13 points off turnovers.
 
Jones-Gibson led the Bulldogs in scoring with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Samford's speedy native of Lexington, Kentucky, also tallied six assists, four rebounds and three steals, while knocking down seven free throws. Jones-Gibson entered Saturday's game as the reigning SoCon Player of the Week as handed out by College Sports Madness.
 
The Bulldogs' Hood notched 17 points and moved into sole possession of 20th place on Samford's all-time scoring list. He closed out the game with 1,067 career points and surpassed Raijon Kelly's total of 1,064.
 
Hood now trails Josh Davis by just one point to be tied for the No. 19 position at 1,068. Along with his 17 points against the Paladins, Hood grabbed five rebounds and two steals, all while handing out an assist and finishing 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.
 
SAMFORD'S HOOD NEARLY PERFECT FROM THE FREE-THROW LINE
The Bulldogs' Hood is shooting a brilliant 93.3 percent (28-of-30) from the free-throw line this season. Samford's senior forward sharpshooter has now connected on 15 straight free throws dating back to the Bulldogs' 65-56 home victory on Dec. 28 versus Campbell.
 
Western Carolina (11-12, 6-5 SoCon) enters Thursday's contest in the midst of a two-game winning streak. Since losing at Samford on Jan. 24, 78-72, the Catamounts tallied road victories at VMI, 85-70, and UNCG, 78-73.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Statistically, Western Carolina boasts one of the top defensive teams in the nation this season. Heading into Thursday's matchup, the Catamounts are ranked No. 14 in total steals (192), No. 22 in steals per game (8.3) and No. 33 in total blocks (108).
 
Despite its national prowess in steals and blocked shots, Western Carolina is only ranked No. 304 in the country in scoring defense and is allowing 72 points per game.
 
Offensively, the Catamounts are being paced by senior guard James Sinclair who is nationally-ranked No. 26 with 19.2 points per contest this season.
 
The Bulldogs have never defeated Western Carolina in Cullowhee and are 0-7 when playing against the Catamounts on the road. Last year, Samford nearly toppled Western Carolina in the Ramsey Center, but the Catamounts rallied for a 67-64 win.
 
IN THEIR LAST MEETING
Less than two weeks ago, the Bulldogs earned a 78-72 home victory against Western Carolina. In the matchup held at the Pete Hanna Center, Samford's Michael Bradley registered his second-consecutive double-double in the win with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
 
In the Bulldogs' triumph, they shot a sizzling 92.9 percent (26-of-28) from the free-throw line and forced the Catamounts into 20 turnovers. Samford capitalized off of Western Carolina's miscues and registered 24 points off turnovers.
 
Jones-Gibson paced Samford with 19 points and four steals, while also grabbing a pair of rebounds and shooting 7-of-12 from the field. Jones-Gibson is the Bulldogs' leading scorer this season at 12.1 points per game and is scoring a team-high 16.4 points per outing in SoCon play.
 
Eight of the Bulldogs' 15 players in 2014-15 are in the midst of their first season at Samford University, and only two (Brandon Hayman and Hood) have been on the roster longer than two years.
 
Three of the Bulldogs' probable starters, Christen Cunningham, Jones-Gibson and Taylor are in their inaugural seasons at Samford.
 
Cunningham is a highly-touted freshman point guard from Georgetown, Kentucky, while Jones-Gibson, a native of Lexington, Kentucky, transferred in the summer from Barton County Community College. Additionally, Taylor is a high-flying true freshman guard from Cincinnati, Ohio.
 
WHAT'S TRENDING . . .
• Samford's Jones-Gibson is ranked No. 12 in the nation with 155 free-throw attempts this year.
• As a team, the Bulldogs are ranked No. 37 in the country with a total of 172 steals.
• Samford boasts an 8-4 record at home this season, but is 1-9 when playing on the road.
 
SAMFORD'S TYLER HOOD - - THE CONSTANT LEADER
Through all of the changes of the last few years, the Bulldogs' senior team captain Hood has been the constant. He's been a reliable leader and consistent figure on the Samford basketball team.
 
In a recent meeting, Hood stated that he's had three different head coaches, eight assistant coaches and 38 teammates. But if you know Hood, he wasn't complaining. He gushed about how blessed he was to have been able to meet and bond with so many different guys.
 
"Not too many people get the opportunity to develop a brotherhood with that many people," Hood said.
 
IT'S GOTTA BE THE SHOES
Two weekends ago, during the annual Coaches versus Cancer Awareness event, the Samford coaching staff wore its white Nike Air Jordans and picked up a pair of key SoCon victories over UNCG, 89-78, and Western Carolina, 78-72.
 
Therefore, they all continued to wear their sneakers in Saturday's 68-58 victory over Furman and will keep wearing them until the Bulldogs' winning streak ends.
 
714-STRAIGHT AND STILL COUNTING
The Bulldogs have made at least one 3-point field goal in 714-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 930-straight games dating back to the 1986-87 season. Kentucky (922) and Vanderbilt (918) 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 Thursday's key road test at Western Carolina, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Saturday at 3 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs conclude their two-game weekend road swing in Johnson City, Tennessee, for a date with the ETSU Buccaneers to be held in Freedom Hall.

Live Video           Live Audio
Live Stats            Game Notes