GAME NOTES: Murray State @ Samford (12.4.21)
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Bulldogs (1-6) look to rebound on Saturday, Dec. 4, as Samford hosts the Racers (6-1) of Murray State. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Pete Hanna Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Curt Bloom, Murry Bartow and Courtney Johnson will have the call.
Samford and Murray State are meeting for the 11th time on the hardwood Saturday. The Racers own a 6-4 edge in the series. Samford claimed an 84-56 victory on Dec. 20, 2019, in Murray, Ky., in the last meeting between the schools. Murray State hasn't played in Birmingham since it dropped a 62-60 decision to the Bulldogs on Dec. 20, 2007.
Murray State enters the weekend 6-1 after defeating Evansville 85-77 on Tuesday. Katelyn Young and Alexis Burpo had double-doubles in the contest. Young, who finished the night 10-for-10 from the field, scored a career-high 28 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds, while Burpo had 10 points and 12 boards.
Despite a career-best 17 points and six rebounds from
Sussy Ngulefac, the Bulldogs dropped a 65-61 decision on the road at Troy on Wednesday. Felmas Koranga led the Trojans with 15 points and 13 rebounds while Tiyah Johnson added 14 points and 10 boards.
Andrea Cournoyer chipped in 12 points for Samford and topped the 1,000 career point plateau in the process.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
- 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).
- Junior guard Andrea Cournoyer enters the weekend ranked No. 1 in the SoCon in scoring at 17.4 points and steals (3.6) per game. Cournoyer's 12 points at Troy pushed her past 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 526. 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. She was also a unanimous selection to the 2020-21 All-SoCon First Team.
- The Bulldogs are shooting 40.3 percent from the floor to rank second in the SoCon. Samford has made 152-of-377 attempts so far this season.
- Samford enter Saturday's showdown with Murray State averaging 58.0 points per game to rank seventh in the SoCon. The Bulldogs are also fifth in scoring defense at 68.3 points allowed per contest.
- Senior guard Shauntai Battle is back after an injury-shortened 2020-21 campaign. The Mobile, Ala., native, is averaging 9.1 points per game so far this season to rank No. 14 in the SoCon. She is fourth in 3-point FG made per game (1.7) as well. 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 6.1 rebounds per game, ranking No. 10 in the league. She turned in a season-high 15 rebounds at No. 9 Iowa.
- Sussy Ngulefac scored a career-high 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting at Troy. The Lilburn, Ga., native, continues to grow as an inside threat for the Bulldogs, averaging 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
- 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 in to sixth place all-time in scoring at Samford. The Norcross, Ga., native, has also cleared 590 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.
UP NEXT: TALLADEGA
- Samford continues its four-game homestand on Monday, Dec. 6, as the Bulldogs host Talladega College at the Pete Hanna Center. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
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