Video (ESPN3)  |  Audio  |  Live Stats  |  Game Notes  |  Tickets

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Samford University basketball team will continue play in its three-game Southern Conference road stretch Saturday at 3 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs square off against the first-place Furman Paladins in a marquee league showdown to be held at Timmons Arena.
 
The matchup will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and aired locally on the radio at 99.1 FM as Blake Gardner, the Voice of the Bulldogs, calls the action.
 
Samford (15-10, 6-6 SoCon) heads into the contest looking to rebound from a 131-127 four-overtime road defeat at Wofford on Thursday night. The Bulldogs' 127 points proved to be Samford's second highest scoring total in all 115-years of the basketball program.
 
The Bulldogs own an 8-5 record in road games this season, but are only 1-3 when playing overtime. Their game at Wofford was the longest in school history.
 
BULLDOGS COMBINE FOR SCHOOL-RECORD SCORING TOTAL
Marking the most points scored in a Bulldog basketball game in school history, Samford dropped a heart-wrenching 131-127 (4OT) decision to the Wofford Terriers in a SoCon matchup held at Benjamin Johnson Arena on Thursday.
 
The combined 258 points scored proved to be the most in a Samford game in school history. The mark well surpassed the previous record of 215 points, which was achieved Feb. 21, 1976, when the Bulldogs dropped a 118-97 decision on the road at Denver.
 

QUICK HITTERS
-- Samford boasts four players averaging double figures in scoring this season in Demetrius Denzel-Dyson (15.8), Wyatt Walker (13.2), Alex Thompson (10.9) and Christen Cunningham (10.9).
 
-- In SoCon games this year, Samford is averaging 82.2 points per game, shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from 3-point range.
 
-- Samford's Christen Cunningham owns the school's single-season record in assists this year with 164.
 
-- On Jan. 2, Samford freshman Josh Sharkey set a school record with seven steals at Western Carolina.
 
DOUBLE DOWN
Samford's Walker has recorded a double-double in 13 of the Bulldogs' 25 games this season. So far this year, Samford's 6-foot-9 big man from Jacksonville, Florida, is averaging 13.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest.
 

On Feb. 4, the Bulldogs' big man registered a 14-point, 11-rebound performance at home against UNCG. Last season as a true freshman, he finished the campaign with four double-doubles.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Furman (17-8, 10-2 SoCon) enters Saturday's game as the hottest team in the conference. The Paladins have been victorious in seven-consecutive outings and sit in first place in the SoCon standings, one game ahead of second-place ETSU.
 
Since suffering back-to-back road losses at Chattanooga and Wofford on Jan. 7 and 14, respectively, Furman has rattled off consecutive wins against ETSU, VMI, Western Carolina, UNCG, Mercer, The Citadel and Chattanooga.
 
The Paladins also boast a perfect 6-0 record at home this season and an overall 9-2 mark when playing in Timmons Arena. Furman's only two home losses this season occurred in improbable fashion against UNC Asheville, 64-58, and South Carolina State, 69-67.
 
Junior guard Devin Sibley leads the Paladins in scoring with a 17.5 points per game this season, while Kris Acox paces Furman with 7.3 rebounds per contest. The Paladins' Daniel Fowler has handed out 104 assists this season to lead the team.
 
THE ALL-TIME SERIES - - SAMFORD vs. FURMAN
On Saturday, the Bulldogs will square off against Furman for the 22nd time in school history. The Paladins currently own a 14-7 advantage in the all-time series and have won the previous three meetings between the teams, including an 83-73 victory in Birmingham, Alabama, earlier this year.
 
Samford's last win at Furman occurred Feb. 3, 2014, as the Bulldogs earned a 76-68 triumph.
 

#COACHESVSCANCER TOUCHES HOME THIS SEASON
Samford's Justin Coleman has a younger brother named Glenn Hardy, who is currently battling cancer. Hardy is only three years old, but constantly possesses a positive attitude and loves to attend the Bulldogs' home basketball games.
 
This year, for the annual #CoachesVsCancer week, Samford's coaching staff wore special tennis shoes and gold laces with the name GLENN HARDY written down the laces.
 
DROPPING DIMES
Cunningham, the Bulldogs' junior point guard from Georgetown, Kentucky, is ranked sixth in the nation in assists (164), 10th in assists per game (6.6) and 20th in assist/turnover ratio (3.0).
 
BULLDOG BITES
-- Samford sophomore Wyatt Walker is nearly averaging a double-double this season with 13.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. He has already tallied 17 double-doubles in his young career.
 
-- Samford is ranked No. 8 in the nation in free throws made this season with a total of 472.
 
-- The Bulldogs' heart-wrenching 131-127 (4OT) loss at Wofford on Thursday proved to be the longest game in Samford history. The Bulldogs' 127 points proved to be the second highest total in the 115 years of Samford hoops, trailing only a 131-point outing vs. Miss. College on Feb. 22, 1971.
 
-- Already this year, Cunningham has registered a school-record 164 assists at a break-neck pace of 6.6 assists per contest. On Feb. 4 against UNCG, Cunningham handed out four assists to reach 152 and eclipse the previous school record of 151, which was achieved by Raijon Kelly in 2012-13.
 
-- Since the beginning of last season, the Bulldogs have tallied a 16-4 record when scoring 80 points or more. On Thursday, Samford came up short in a 131-127 4OT loss on the road at Wofford.
 

KNOCKING DOWN THE THREE
Heading into Saturday's SoCon road game against Furman, the Bulldogs boast four players shooting at least 40.0 percent from 3-point range this season, including Denzel-Dyson, who is shooting a sizzling 50.0 percent from beyond the arc.
 
As a team, Samford is ranked No. 15 in the country in 3-point shooting at 40.2 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 42.5 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.
 
DID YOU KNOW??
Samford's Sharkey is first cousins with 10-year NBA veteran and collegiate standout at St. Joe's Jameer Nelson.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following Saturday's key road test at Furman, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Wednesday at 6 p.m. (CT) as the Bulldogs conclude their three-game SoCon road stretch against the ETSU Buccaneers in a pivotal league contest to be held at Freedom Hall in Johnson City, Tennessee.
 
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.

Video (ESPN3)  |  Audio  |  Live Stats  |  Game Notes  |  Tickets