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GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Samford University basketball team will begin play in its 2016-17 Southern Conference schedule Saturday at 1 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs square off against the red-hot UNCG Spartans on the road in a key early-league showdown to be held at the Greensboro Coliseum. The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
 
Samford (9-4, 0-0 SoCon) enters conference play with a full head of steam after earning back-to-back home victories against Florida A&M, 83-63, and Fort Valley State, 94-74. The Bulldogs have been triumphant in six of their last seven outings with their only setback occurring Dec. 19 on the road at No. 21-ranked Florida State, 76-68.
 
Samford owns a 4-3 record in road games this season with wins coming against South Alabama, Saint Louis, San Diego and Campbell. The Bulldogs' road losses this year have occurred versus New Mexico State, Cincinnati and No. 21 Florida State.
 

SAMFORD'S WALKER IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Bulldogs' Wyatt Walker heads into Saturday's game ranked fifth in the nation with eight double-doubles this season. Walker is also ranked No. 14 in the country in defensive rebounds per contest (7.5), as well as No. 16 in the nation in both rebounds per game (10.5) and total rebounds (137).
 
SCORING IS KEY
Since the beginning of last season, Samford has registered a 13-2 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 Wednesday, Samford cruised to a 94-74 home victory against the Fort Valley State Wildcats in a nonconference matchup held in the Pete Hanna Center.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
UNCG (10-4, 1-0 SoCon) has been victorious in nine of its last 11 outings. The Spartans' only losses since Nov. 18 have occurred against Wake Forest, 78-75, on Dec. 9, and at Georgetown, 78-56, on Dec. 22.
 
UNCG opened the 2016-17 season with a loss at Virginia, then a setback at High Point, 63-57, but rattled off six-consecutive wins against North Dakota State, Navy, Belmont Abbey, N.C. A&T, Liberty and Mars Hill.
 
On Wednesday, the Spartans opened their SoCon schedule on the road and posted a key 95-87 victory at The Citadel. UNCG led from start to finish to improve to 10-4 on the season and 1-0 in league play. The Spartans' 10-4 start is the best since the 1995-96 season when UNCG opened the year with a 13-4 record.
 
Additionally, the Spartans also became the first team in the SoCon to reach double digits in wins this year. UNCG also posted its 10th win of the season Dec. 28 this year after not posting its 10th win last year until Feb. 18, 2016, on its way to a 15-19 overall record.
 
The Spartans connected on 57.6 percent (34-of-59) from the field and hit 57.9 percent (11-of-19) from 3-point land in the victory. UNCG's hot shooting helped it overcome a season-high 28 turnovers in the chaotic paced game. The Spartans held The Citadel, the nation's highest scoring team, to 16 points below its average as the Bulldogs shot 32.9 percent (25-of-76) from the field and 29.4 percent (10-of-34) from deep.
 
Senior guard Diante Baldwin led five Spartans in double figures with a career-high 25 points while dishing out eight assists, grabbing five rebounds and posting three steals. Baldwin connected on 8-of-15 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
 
Sophomore guard Demetrius Troy scored a career-high 18 points in 23 minutes off the bench before fouling out. Troy connected on 6-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-5 from deep, while dishing out six assists with just one turnover. Junior forward Marvin Smith scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds, as he was 5-of-8 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers.
 
Sophomore guard Francis Alonso added 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting while redshirt freshman forward James Dickey scored 10 points in the second half while grabbing eight rebounds. The Spartans also owned the glass, posting a 51-36 advantage.
 
THE ALL-TIME SERIES - - SAMFORD vs. UNCG
Samford and UNCG are currently tied in their all-time series by a count of 9-9. The Spartans have been victorious in the last four meetings between the teams, including a pair of wins last season;  86-78 in Greensboro, N.C., and 82-77 (OT) in Birmingham, Ala., on Feb. 18.
 
The Bulldogs' most recent victory in the series occurred Jan. 22, 2015, at home in the Pete Hanna Center. Samford's last win on the road at UNCG was registered Jan. 6, 2011, 68-64, when the Spartans still played on campus at Fleming Gym.
 
KNOCKING DOWN THE THREE
Heading into Saturday's SoCon opener at UNCG, the Bulldogs boast four players shooting at least 39.7 percent from 3-point range this season, including junior guard Demetrius Denzel-Dyson (3D), who is shooting a sizzling 51.7 percent from beyond the arc.
 

Denzel-Dyson is ranked No. 12 in the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage at 51.7, while Samford is ranked No. 51 in the country in the category at 39.8 percent.
 
Along with Denzel-Dyson's remarkable 3-point shooting percentage, the Bulldogs' Triston Chambers owns a 44.4 mark, while Alex Thompson is shooting 39.7 percent from beyond the arc. Additionally, Samford's Gerald Smith is shooting 40.0 percent from long range at a 2-for-5 clip this season.
 
CUNNINGHAM'S ASSIST FRENZY
On Nov. 27, in the Bulldogs' heartbreaking 106-103 home loss to Nicholls State, junior point guard Christen Cunningham handed out a career-high 13 assists. Last year, Samford's dynamic floor general became the first player in school history to record back-to-back seasons with at least 125 assists. Cunningham is also just 55 points shy of reaching the prestigious 1,000-point plateau.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following Saturday's SoCon-opening matchup at UNCG, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Monday at 6 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs conclude their two-game conference road trip with a date against the Western Carolina Catamounts to be held at the Ramsey Center in Cullowhee.
 
For quick score updates, breaking news and links to all of your favorite articles featuring the Bulldogs, please follow @SamfordHoopsFOE and @Samford_Sports on Twitter.

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