GAME NOTES: Samford @ VMI (2.13.21)
Complete game release in PDF format

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Bulldogs (6-10, 2-7 SoCon) of Samford University travel to Lexington, Va., on Saturday, Feb. 13 to face the Keydets (10-10, 4-7 SoCon) of Virginia Military Institute. Tipoff is set for 12 PM CST at Cameron Hall and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Saturday's game is the second this season and the 18th all-time between the two institutions. Coach Bucky McMillan and the Bulldogs claimed an 84-71 victory over the Keydets back on Dec. 30, 2020 at the Pete Hanna Center. A.J. Staton-McCray and Preston Parks led Samford with 15 points each while Greg Parham led VMI and all scorers with 18. 

Samford, which leads the all-time series with VMI 14-3, is coming off back-to-back games versus Mercer, including a 77-70 overtime loss on Wednesday at the Hanna Center. Preston Parks led the Bulldogs with a career-high 18 points and eight rebounds. 

VMI is 4-5 in its last nine games including a 74-72 loss at Western Carolina on Wednesday in Cullowhee. A week earlier, the Keydets pulled off an 84-80 overtime thriller at Wofford as Greg Parham and Jake Stephens combined to score 44 points and clear 13 rebounds.

Entering Saturday's game in Lexington, the Keydets are led in scoring by Greg Parham, a 6-4 senior guard from Richmond, Va., who currently averages 19.2 points per game. The sharp-shooting guard is second in the SoCon in scoring and fourth in FG percentage (51.2). 

Jake Stephens, a 6-10 junior center from Bunker Hill, W. Va., adds a significant punch in the paint, averaging 14.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. 

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS     

• Freshman point guard Jaron Rillie, who scored a career-high 18 in Monday's game at Mercer, made his first career start for the Bulldogs on Wednesday, Jan. 20 versus Chattanooga. The 6-3 freshman from Santa Barbara, Calif., dished out five assists and chipped in five points versus the Mocs. Rillie is averaging 4.3 points and 2.8 assists per game entering Saturday's contest. 
• A.J. Staton-McCray, a 6-5 freshman from Charlotte, N.C., continues to be one of the most productive newcomers in the SoCon, averaging 10.4 points and 4.4 rebounds a game. He scored a career-high 23 points, making 7-of-8 shots from the floor and 5-of-6 from three-point range, in Samford's 133-84 win over Belhaven.  
• Junior forward Logan Dye, a 6-8 forward from Haleyville, Ala., is averaging 9.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game coming into the game with VMI. He scored a career-high 21 points in the season-opener versus Alabama A&M. Dye finished with 11 points and six rebounds in Monday's win over Western Carolina. He added 13 points and three rebounds on versus Chattanooga.  
• Jalen Dupree, a 6-8 senior forward from Cordova, Tenn., had found his stride after an early injury delayed his start to the year. Dupree has played in SU's last eight games, starting four, averaging 8.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.  
• Sharp-shooting guard Triston Chambers has topped the 600 career point plateau this year with 632. The sharp-shooting guard is second on the team with 22 made 3-pointers. The Cold Springs, Ala., native, is averaging 5.4 points per game. He posted a season-best 21 points earlier this year versus Belhaven.   
• Richardson Maitre a 6-3 senior point guard from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, has started all 13 games for the Bulldogs since transferring from Florida Atlantic. The speedy guard is averaging 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game for Samford. Maitre had 12 points and three assists in SU's last outing versus UNCG.
• Senior Preston Parks , who scored a career best 17 points with four rebounds Monday at Mercer, started the season a little slowly, but has turned it on of late. The Greenville, S.C., native, scored 13 points at Wofford after a then career-high 15 versus VMI. He is averaging 7.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. After his eight point performance versus UNCG, Parks topped the 1,000 career point plateau across his time at The Citadel, Tennessee-Martin and Samford.  
• Jacob Tryon, a 6-11 senior center from Temecula, Calif., is averaging 7.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs. Tryon had eight points and a pair of boards in Monday's showdown with Mercer.
• Marcellus Vail, a 6-2 freshman from Shelbyville, Ky., scored a career-high eight points in Wednesday's 77-70 overtime loss to Mercer. Samford enters Saturday's contest with VMI averaging 80.1 points per game, ranking third in the SoCon.
• The Bulldogs are holding opponents to 43.2 percent from the field. Samford currently ranks fifth in FG percentage defense in the SoCon.
• Samford has been tenacious on the glass this season, averaging 39.9 rebounds per game, ranking No. 1 in the Southern Conference
• The Bulldogs are sharing the wealth, averaging g 15.8 assists per game to rank fourth in the league. 
• Samford's success this season has been fueled by the offensive production of its non-starters, who have outscored the opposition 596-259. In a 98-73 win over Covenant, the Bulldogs bench outscored the Scots, 48-21, and in a 96-83 win at Belmont, SU held a dominating 64-4 edge in bench scoring. In Saturday's heartbreaking loss at Georgia, the Bulldogs bench outscored UGA 44-19. In Saturday's win at Kennesaw State, the Bulldog bench dominated the scoring, 37-7. SU had it's largest bench scoring margin of the season, 94-21, in a 133-84 win over Belhaven. 
• Arguably one of the nation's most distinct brands of basketball, #BuckyBall, has come to Samford with new head coach Bucky McMillan. The former standout at Birmingham Southern won 332 games and five Alabama state championships in 13 seasons as head coach at Mountain Brook High School. The up-tempo, in your face style of play became a staple in Birmingham, as MBHS transformed into a national power. McMillan has been named "Coach of the Year" 12 times in his career, including 2019 USA Today National Coach of the Year.