SAMFORD VS. BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN GAME NOTES
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford women's basketball team will wrap up the non-conference portion of its schedule by hosting cross-town foe Birmingham-Southern Monday evening at 6 p.m. in the Pete Hanna Center.
Admission is free with limited seating due to COVID-19 restrictions. The game will be broadcast live at the following link:
ESPN+, and live stats will be available at the following link:
Live Stats.
The Bulldogs enter the game with a record of 2-6 after a 76-51 win over Alabama-Huntsville Dec. 31. The Panthers are currently 1-3 on the young season following a 101-98 loss to Belhaven Dec. 15.
Samford and Birmingham-Southern have met four times in regular-season games, with Samford holding a 3-1 advantage in the series, all when BSC was a Division I program. The last regular-season meeting came in 2006, with Samford winning, 73-66 at Seibert Hall. Since BSC moved to Division III, the teams played in an exhibition game in 2015, with Samford winning, 65-36. Monday night's game will count as a regular-season game for Samford, but as an exhibition for BSC.
NOTES
ARMSTRONG PICKS UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF: Samford senior center
Natalie Armstrong has picked up right where she left off last season. So far this season, Armstrong is averaging 13.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. She had 25 points and 10 rebounds in the season opener at Alabama, and then turned in 10 points and six rebounds at Auburn. She also had 15 points and five rebounds against North Alabama, and produced 10 points at No. 9 Kentucky. She also had 13 points at eight rebounds at Jacksonville State, and she posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds against Alabama-Huntsville.
COURNOYER BRINGS A SPARK: After missing the first three games of the season with an injury, junior
Andrea Cournoyer has provided a needed spark for the Bulldogs in the last five games. The Louisiana transfer is averaging a team-high 12.8 points per game. She led the team with 18 points in her Samford debut against UT Martin. She then had a team-high 19 points in a win over North Alabama. Cournoyer led the team with 14 points at No. 9 Kentucky.
ARMSTRONG NEARS CAREER MILESTONE: Natalie Armstrong enters this game with 975 career points, leaving her just 25 points shy of becoming just the ninth player in program history to score 1,000 points in their careers. Her 975 career points rank ninth in school history.
OMAR LEADS THE SOCON: Entering this game, Samford senior guard
Raven Omar leads the Southern Conference in assists, dishing out 4.9 assists per game. Through the first eight games of the season, Omar has had at least five assists in four of those contests, including a career-high nine against Alabama-Huntsville.
SAMFORD VERSUS SAA OPPONENTS: Samford has an all-time record of 5-1 in regular-season games against the current members of the Southern Athletic Association. The Bulldogs are 3-1 against Birmingham-Southern, though all four matchups came when BSC was a Division I program. Samford has also played Berry College (1-0) and Rhodes College (1-0).
SAMFORD AT HOME: In its 23-plus seasons of women's basketball, Samford has an all-time record of 183-118 at home. In 13-plus seasons in the Pete Hanna Center, the Bulldogs are 122-47 in their current home. In 10 seasons in Seibert Hall, Samford had a record of 61-71 in that facility. Last season, Samford posted a record of 6-5 in home games. This season, the Bulldogs have 10 home games on their schedule, and the team is currently 2-1 in those contests.
AMONG SOCON LEADERS: Entering this game, Samford is near the top of the Southern Conference in several statistical categories. Samford ranks second in the league in three-point field goal percentage (.331). The Bulldogs also rank second in the league in rebounding defense (36.2), and in three-pointers made per game (6.8).
SAMFORD AGAINST IN-STATE TEAMS: Samford has an all-time record of 62-53 against teams from the state of Alabama, including a 3-1 mark against Birmingham-Southern. Samford has played the following in-state teams: Alabama (2-8), Alabama State (13-4), Alabama A&M (4-1), Alabama-Huntsville (1-0), Auburn (0-4), AUM (5-0), Birmingham-Southern (3-1), Jacksonville State (18-15), Montevallo (2-0), North Alabama (2-0), South Alabama (1-0), Talladega (0-1), Troy (9-12) and UAB (2-7).
