GAME NOTES: Samford @ Mercer (2.8.21)
Complete game release with notes, stats & more in PDF format

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Coach Bucky McMillan and the Samford University men's basketball returns to the court on Monday, Feb. 8 at Mercer University (10-5, 2-5 SoCon) in Macon, Ga., after a four-game hiatus for COVID-19 protocols. Tipoff is set for 6 PM at Hawkins Arena with ESPN+ offering complete coverage.

The Bulldogs (6-8, 2-5 SoCon) haven't played since dropping a 70-64 decision to Chattanooga on Jan. 20, 2021 at the Pete Hanna Center. Logan Dye led Samford with 13 points in the loss. Preston Parks followed with 12 points for the Bulldogs. A.J. Staton-McCray added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists for Samford.

Mercer is coming off a 70-64 loss to East Tennessee State on Wednesday.   

Saturday's game is the 117th in a series that dates back to the 1902-03 campaign. Mercer, which leads the series standings 70-46, has won 13 straight against Samford, including a 106-66 victory in Hawkins Arena last year. 

Mercer enters Saturday's matchup with five players averaging in douible figures. Preseason All-SoCon guard Ross Cummings leads the Bears in scoring (15.7 ppg), ranking 11th overall in the league. The 6-3 senior from Dickson, Tenn., has scored at least eight points in all but four of Mercer's contests.

Felipe Haase (12.9 ppg), who also leads MU with 8.3 rebounds per game, Neftali Alvarez (12.8 ppg), Leon Ayers, III (12.7 ppg), and Maciej Bender (11.4 ppg) round out the remaining Bears in double digits.


SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

• Freshman point guard Jaron Rillie 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 3.4 points and 2.5 assists per game entering Saturday's contest with Mercer. 
• 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 10.5 points and 4.1 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 9.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game coming into Saturday's game with Mercer. 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 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.  
• Sharp-shooting guard Triston Chambers has topped the 600 career point plateau this year with 624. The sharp-shooting guard is second on the team with 22 made 3-pointers. The Cold Springs, Ala., native, is averaging 6.0 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 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 career-high 15 versus VMI. He is averaging 6.6 points and 2.4 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.  
• Myron Gordon, a 6-3 senior guard from Bordentown, N.J., sustained an undisclosed injury versus UNCG on Thursday, Jan. 14. Gordon did not play against the Spartans on Saturday, Jan. 16. The slashing guard is leading the team in scoring, averaging 15.6 ppg to rank eighth in the league. Gordon, a two-time SoCon Player of the Week, scored a career-high 29 points at Georgia.
• Samford enters Monday's game with Mercer averaging 80.6 points per game, ranking 5th in the SoCon.
• The Bulldogs are holding opponents to 42.0 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. The Bulldogs are second in the league on the glass trailing only UNCG (41.9).
• The Bulldogs are sharing the wealth, averaging g 16.6 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 559-219. 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.