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MOBILE, Ala. -- The Samford University basketball team will begin play in a critical two-game road trip Friday at 7:05 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs travel to face the South Alabama Jaguars in a key non-conference contest to be held at the Mitchell Center.
 
Afterwards, Samford (6-3) will continue its road swing Monday at 1 p.m., against the No. 23-ranked Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee, Florida.
 
The Bulldogs enter Friday's tough road test against South Alabama with a full head of steam after recording three straight victories over Saint Louis, 68-64, Jacksonville State, 81-77, and Miles College, 92-73.
 
Samford owns a 3-2 record when playing on the road this season with wins against San Diego, 83-65, Campbell, 66-53, and Saint Louis.
 

RETURNING STARTERS
The Bulldogs boast two returning starters this season in junior point guard Christen Cunningham and sophomore center Wyatt Walker.
 
Cunningham has started every game of his illustrious three-year career at the point guard position and has already made 74 starts at Samford. Last season, the Georgetown, Kentucky, native averaged 14.4 points and 3.9 assists per game.
 
"Christen's a natural-born point guard and he really knows how to run a team," said Samford head coach Scott Padgett. "He does a great job of finding the open man, and when you need a bucket, he has the talent and ability to go score it for you. Since last season, he's really done a good job of becoming more of a leader. We've had seniors here in his last two years, so now he's one of the oldest guys on the team and definitely the leader."
 
Walker, the Bulldogs' 6-foot-9 All-Southern Conference Freshman Team performer from a year ago, is hoping this season to build upon a stellar rookie campaign. Last year, the Jacksonville, Florida, native averaged 10.6 points and 6.0 rebounds. He also led the team with a 58.1 shooting percentage in 22 minutes per contest.
 

SAMFORD'S WALKER IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Bulldogs' Walker heads into Friday's game ranked third in the nation with seven double-doubles. He is also ranked No. 6 in the county in rebounds per contest (11.7) and No. 10 in defensive rebounds per game (8.2). Additionally, Samford's Walker is ranked 13th in the nation in total rebounds (105) and 36th in the country in offensive rebounds per game (3.4).
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
South Alabama (6-4) is in the midst of a three game losing streak. On Tuesday, the Jaguars suffered a 64-51 home loss to Denver as the Pioneers shot 70 percent from the floor in the second half at the Mitchell Center.
 
After converting just 31.8 percent in the first half, Denver hit 14 of its 20 attempts after halftime, and 50 percent for the contest. The Pioneers went 5-for-7 from the 3-point line in the second half and assisted on 15 of its 21 field goals.
 
On the other end of the floor, South Alabama shot a season-low 31.5 percent from the field – 2 for 22 from behind the arc – and totaled just three assists.
 
Down four at the half, Denver opened the second half on a 17-7 run, making seven of its first eight shots from the floor, then doubled up the Jags with a 30-15 spurt while going 12 for 16 from the field. The final eight points in the run were unanswered, and Denver used that to jump start a 15-4 rally to go up 59-45 with just under two minutes left.
 
In an almost 10-minute stretch, South Alabama made just one of its eight shots and had five turnovers. Senior Ken Williams paced the Jags with 15 points. Senior Georgi Boyanov recorded his first double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and senior Don MuepoKelly had 11 points and a game-high three steals.
 
THE ALL-TIME SERIES - - SAMFORD vs. SOUTH ALABAMA
Last season, the Bulldogs and Jaguars met on the hardwood for the first time since Dec. 2, 2006, when South Alabama earned a 59-54 home victory in Mobile. In last year's matchup, the Jaguars rallied for a 72-70 double-overtime win held at Samford's Pete Hanna Center on Dec. 18, 2015.
 
South Alabama owns a 17-3 advantage in the all-time series and has won the last 12 meetings between the teams dating back to Feb. 10, 1972. Prior to last season's meeting, Samford's last home game in the series occurred Jan. 31, 1976.
 

KNOCKING DOWN THE THREE
Heading into Friday's road game at South Alabama, the Bulldogs boast four players shooting at least 40 percent from 3-point range this season, including junior guard Demetrius Denzel-Dyson (3D), who is shooting a sizzling 52.2 percent from beyond the arc this year.
 
Denzel-Dyson is ranked No. 12 in the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage at 52.2, while Samford is ranked No. 32 in the country in the category at 40.1 percent.
 
Along with Denzel-Dyson's remarkable 3-point shooting percentage, the Bulldogs' Alex Thompson is shooting 42.4 percent, while Triston Chambers owns a 42.2 mark. Additionally, Samford's Gerald Smith is shooting 50 percent from long range at a 2-for-4 clip this season.
 
SCORING IS KEY
Since the beginning of last season, Samford has registered a 10-2 record when scoring at least 80 points. On Nov. 14, the Bulldogs opened the 2016-17 season with a dominant 83-65 road victory at San Diego and turned in a 46.9-percent shooting performance from the field, including a welcome 10-of-25 (40 percent) outing from 3-point range.
 
On Saturday, Samford posted a 92-73 home victory against Miles College as the Bulldogs continued to notch huge scoring totals when playing at home in the Pete Hanna Center.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following Friday's key in-state showdown at South Alabama, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Monday at 1 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs conclude their two-game road swing against the No. 23-ranked Florida State Seminoles in a contest to be held at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.
 
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