GAME NOTES: Samford @ Troy (12.1.21)
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Bulldogs (1-5) look to jumpstart December on Tuesday, as Samford concludes its four-game road swing at Troy (3-3). Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at Trojans Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Samford and Troy are meeting for the 22nd time on the hardwood. The Trojans own a 12-9 edge in the series after winning the last two meetings between the schools including a 75-54 decision on Nov. 12, 2019, at the Pete Hanna Center.
Troy enters the week 3-3 after dropping a 91-75 loss on Sunday, Nov. 28 at No. 7 Duke (6-0). Felmas Koranga leads Troy in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. Amber Leggett is also averaging double digits at 13.0 points per game.
Despite a game-high 21 points from Samford's
Andrea Cournoyer, Northern Colorado rallied from a 12-9 first quarter deficit to claim a 64-49 victory over the Bulldogs (1-5) on Friday, Nov. 26 at the Bank of Colorado Arena. Led by Hannah Simental's 20 points, the Bears (2-3) placed three players in double figures.
Shauntai Battle chipped in 14 points for Samford.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:
- Junior guard Andrea Cournoyer enters the week ranked No. 1 in the SoCon in scoring at 18.3 points per game. Cournoyer is just three points away from 1,000 in her career. The Merryville, La., native, scored 489 points in her two seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette before transferring to Samford, where she has scored 514. The multi-faceted guard 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.
- 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 are shooting 40 percent from the floor to rank third in the SoCon. Samford has made 126-of-315 attempts so far this season.
- The Bulldogs enter Wednesday's in-state showdown at Troy averaging 57.5 points per game to rank seventh in the SoCon. SU is also fifth in scoring defense at 68.5 points allowed per contest.
- Samford leads the SoCon heading into this week's action shooting 33.9 percent from 3-point range. The Bulldogs have made 42-of-124 attempts from beyond the arc. Andrea Cournoyer (45.0) and Shauntai Battle (36.7) both rank in the top 10 in 3-point FG percentage.
- Senior guard Shauntai Battle is back after an injury-shortened 2020-21 campaign. The Mobile, Ala., native, is averaging 9.5 points per game so far this season to rank No. 13 in the SoCon. 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.
- Preseason All-SoCon selection and junior forward Annie Ramil has been a force on the boards, averaging 5.7 rebounds per game, ranking No. 9 in the league. She turned in a season-high 15 rebounds at No. 9 Iowa in the season-opener.
- Natalie Armstrong continues to build on her legacy at Samford. The 6-2 center has played in 115 games for the Bulldogs, scoring 1,195 points in her illustrious career. She needs two points to move into sixth place all-time in scoring at Samford. The Norcross, Ga., native, has also cleared 589 career rebounds and blocked 124 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 was 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: TROY
- Troy enters the week 3-3 after dropping a 91-75 loss on Sunday, Nov. 28 at No. 7 Duke (6-0). With 24 points on the night, Felmas Koranga set a new career-high in the loss. The senior also cleared 16 rebounds en route to her fourth double-double of the season. Celeste Taylor and Shayeann Day-Wilson led Duke with 24 and 26 points, respectively. They scored 50 of Duke's 91 points.
- The Trojans enter Wednesday's game averaging 78.0 points per game while allowing 71.8 to the opposition. Troy scored a season high 101 points versus Talladega on Nov. 8.
- Troy has been ranked as high as No. 20 in the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll this season.
- Felmas Koranga leads Troy in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-1 forward from Nakuru, Kenya, has scored in double figures in five of Troy's six games this season. Prior to her 24 points and 16 rebounds at Duke, Koranga had a previous high of 19 points versus Mercer and 19 rebounds at Bethune-Cookman.
- Junior guard Amber Leggett has been a tough match for opposing defenses, averaging 13.0 points per game. The Navarre, Fla., native, scored a season and career-high 32 points in the season-opener versus Talladega.
UP NEXT:
- The Bulldogs return to the Pete Hanna Center for the first time in two weeks on Saturday, Dec. 4, as Samford hosts Murray State in a key Mid-Major showdown. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. While admission is free, fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to the game. All toys will be donated to local charities.
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS:
