GAME NOTES: Samford @ Southern Miss (11.20.21)
Complete game release with notes, stats, & more in PDF format

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Bulldogs (1-1, 0-0 SoCon) of Samford University jump-start a four game road swing on Saturday, Nov. 20 in Hattiesburg, Miss., against the Golden Eagles (1-1, 0-0 CUSA) of the University of Southern Mississippi. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at Reed Green Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on CUSA-TV+. John Cox will have the call.

Samford and Southern Miss are meeting for the eighth time on the hardwood with the Golden Eagles owning a 5-2 advantage in the series standings. USM defeated Samford, 76-40, on Nov. 18, 2018 in the last meeting between the schools. The Bulldogs won both of their series victories at home in Birmingham.

Southern Miss enter Saturday's game coming off an 86-54 loss at Alabama on Wednesday at Coleman Coliseum. Melyia Grayson, Conference USA Co-Freshman of the Year in 2020-21, had her first double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Domonique Davis led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 14.

The Bulldogs also dropped a contest on Wednesday, falling 56-53 to Jacksonville State at the Pete Hanna Center. Andrea Cournoyer led all scorers with 20 points and Natalie Armstrong narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 13 rebounds.


SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:
Junior guard Andrea Cournoyer enters the weekend ranked No. 1 in the SoCon in scoring at 18.7 points per game. The Merryville, La., native, played in 22 games for the Bulldogs while being named the 2020-21 SoCon Player of the Year. Cournoyer averaged a league-high 18.4 points per game while contributing 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Cournoyer was also a unanimous selection to the 2020-21 All-SoCon First Team.

Freshman guard Sanaa Redmond is currently No. 2 the SoCon in assists per game at 4,7 after dishing out 14 assists through three games.

Freshman center Sussy Ngulefac recorded a career-high seven points and seven rebounds versus Jacksonville State on Wednesday. She is averaging 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.

Samford will play a formidable non-conference schedule for a third-straight year under head coach Carley Kuhns. The Bulldogs will square-off on the road with No. 9 Iowa (11.11), Jacksonville State (11.17), Southern Miss (11.20), Colorado (11.22), Northern Colorado (11.26), Troy (12.1), Ole Miss (12.17), and LSU (12.27). SU will host Jacksonville State (11.17), Murray State (12.4), Alabama A&M (12.9), UAB (12.12), and Kennesaw State (12.29).

The Bulldogs enter this weekend's game with Southern Miss averaging 60.7 points per game to rank fifth in the SoCon. SU is also fifth in scoring defense at 65.5 points allowed per contest.

Senior guard Shauntai Battle is back after an injury-shortened 2020-21 campaign. The Mobile, Ala., native, is averaging 10.3 points per game so far this season. Known as one of the league's top defenders, Battle was named to the 2019-2020 All-SoCon Defensive Team after helping lead the Bulldogs to the regular season and tournament titles.  

Junior forward Annie Ramil has been a menace on the boards, averaging 8.3 rebounds and 7.3 points per game. She turned in a season-high 15 rebounds at No. 9 Iowa in the season-opener. The Binghamton, N.Y., native, averaged 11.0 points and a team-leading 8.2 rebounds per game.  

Entering her final season with the Bulldogs, senior center Natalie Armstrong is looking to solidify one of the most memorable runs in recent Samford history. In her first start on Wednesday versus Jacksonville State, the three-time All-SoCon Team selection scored nine points and grabbed 13 rebounds. She has played in 112 games for the Bulldogs, scoring 1,172 points in her illustrious career. The Norcross, Ga., native, has also cleared 575 career rebounds and blocked 122 shots. She led the SoCon in blocks (43) in 2020-21 while averaging 12.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest. In 2019-20, Armstrong was named the SoCon Tournament MVP after draining the game-winning three-pointer to propel the Bulldogs past UNCG and into the NCAA Tournament.

Samford enters the 2021-22 campaign picked to finish second in both the Southern Conference Preseason Coaches' & Media Polls. The Bulldogs have captured back-to-back SoCon Regular Season Championships in coach Carley Kuhns first two seasons with Samford. Junior guard Andrea Cournoyer was picked to repeat as the league's Player of the Year while senior center Natalie Armstrong and junior forward Annie Ramil were also named to the All-SoCon Preseason Team. 


FACE THE FOE: SOUTHERN MISS
The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (2-1, 0-0 CUSA) enter Saturday's game with Samford coming off a 86-54 loss at Alabama. Melyia Grayson, Conference USA Co-Freshman of the Year in 2020-21, had her first double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Domonique Davis led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 14.

The Golden Eagles are averaging 67.7 points per game while allowing just 62.7 per contest. Southern Miss held William Carey to a mere 42 points followed by 60 against Louisiana-Monroe.   

Junior guard Dominique Davis leads the Golden Eagles in scoring, averaging 13.7 points per game. The DeRidder, La., native, scored a season-high 20 points in the 77-60 win over ULM and had 14 in Wednesday's loss at Alabama.   

Melyia Grayson, a 6-3 sophomore center from Hattiesburg, Miss. and the reigning Conference USA Freshman of the Year, has been a force inside for USM, averaging 12.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

Brikayla Gray, a 5-8 sophomore guard from Hebron, Miss., is also averaging 9.7 points and 5.7 rebounds for the Golden Eagles.


UP NEXT: COLORADO BUFFALOES
Samford continues its four game road swing on Monday, Nov. 22 at the University of Colorado. Tipoff between the Bulldogs and Buffaloes is set for 5 p.m. Central. The game will be broadcast on the Pac 12 Networks. 


FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS:
For the latest news and information on Samford women's basketball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordWomen'sBasketball (Facebook), @SamfordWBB (Instagram) and @SamfordWBB (Twitter).