GAME NOTES--SAMFORD AT MERCER (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford men's basketball team (10-3, 0-1 SoCon) will play at Mercer (7-6, 0-0 SoCon) Wednesday at 6 p.m. (CT) at Mercer's Hawkins Arena. The game can be seen live on ESPN+ with Frank Malloy (PBP) and Dean Keener (Color) calling the action. Live stats will also be available at www.MercerBears.com.
 

• Samford and Mercer are meeting for the 120th time, with Mercer owning a 73-46 lead in the series. The teams met three times last season, with Mercer winning all three contests. The teams last met in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament, with the Bears taking an 87-59 win. Mercer has won the last 16 meetings in the series.

• The Bulldogs are coming into the game off of an 81-49 loss in the team's SoCon opener at Furman Wednesday night. Samford was playing without several players, including leading scorer Ques Glover. Jaden Campbell led Samford in the loss with 15 points. Samford's home game against The Citadel, scheduled for Jan. 1, was postponed due to COVID protocols.

• Samford has been led in scoring so far this season by sophomore guard Ques Glover, who ranks third in the Southern Conference with an average of 19.3 points per game. Glover leads the SoCon in free throw percentage (.898) and ranks fifth in assists (4.2 apg.).  Jermaine Marshall leads the league in rebounding, grabbing 8.8 boards per contest.

• Mercer is off to a 7-6 start to the season after a 69-65 loss to Troy on Dec. 22. Mercer's last two games have been postponed due to COVID protocols.

• Mercer has been led in scoring by Felipe Haase, averaging 14.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Jalen Johnson is scoring 14.2 points and grabbing 5.3 boards per contest.

• Mercer is currently averaging 71.8 points per game, while giving up 69.8 points per game.

• Samford is averaging 74.5 points per game while giving up 72.8 entering Wednesday night's game at Mercer.

• Samford has a record of 5-1 in the friendly confines of the Pete Hanna Center so far this season. The Bulldogs have earned home wins over Maryville, Spring Hill, Mississippi College, Alabama A&M and Kennesaw State. Samford's lone home loss so far this season came against Belmont.

• Samford is No. 1 in the SoCon in both turnovers forced per game (16.4) and in steals per game (8.5). The Bulldogs forced a season-high 33 turnovers versus Spring Hill.

• Samford has made a habit of winning close games, posting a record of 5-0 in games decided by three points or less.

• The Bulldogs are 8-0 when leading at halftime this season and 7-0 on the year when controlling the opening tipoff.

• Samford's bench has outscored the opposition's reserves eight times this season, leading to a 7-1 mark in those contests.

• SoCon teams combined to win six games against Power 5 conference (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, Pac-12) teams during the non-conference portion of the 2021-22 season. The six wins is the most the league has accumulated against those conferences since also winning six games in the 2012-13 season.

• Hard work and dedication create luck on the court and entering Wednesday night's game, KenPom.com ranks Samford No. 1 in Luck with a +.316 rating. For more on the data analysis visit https://kenpom.com/index.php?s=RankLuck.

• Pace of Play is a key metric for the Bulldogs, as Samford averages 72.5 possessions per game. In 2020-21, Samford led the nation at 91.0 per game.

• Mr. Double-Double Jermaine Marshall (6-6, 225, So.) recorded his sixth double-double this season with 13 points and 11 boards in Samford's 75-73 win at Ole Miss. The Akron transfer has been a force on the wing for the Bulldogs, averaging 11.7 points and a SoCon-leading 8.8 rebounds per game.

• Ques Glover (6-0, 180, So.) has made a remarkable impact on the Bulldogs so far this year, ranking No. 3 the SoCon in scoring at 19.3 points per game while dishing out 4.2 assists a game. The Knoxville, Tenn., native, scored 21 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists in last week's win at Ole Miss.

• Jaden Campbell (6-5, 195, Soph.) has been a major spark for the Bulldogs, averaging 11.0 points per game, ranking 25th in the Southern Conference. The Brampton, Ontario native scored a career-high 19 points versus McNeese State.

• Wesley Cardet, Jr. (6-6, 205, Fr.), one of the nation's most sought after recruits, continues to develop his game in advance of Southern Conference play. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native is averaging 9.1 points, and 4.2 rebounds per game after scoring a career-high 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds at Alabama State. Cardet was the No. 60 ranked player in the nation and No. 13 at his position by Rivals at West Oaks.

• Ques Glover was named the CollegeInsider.com National Player of the Week following Sanford's win at Ole Miss on Dec. 21. In the win, Glover had 21 points, five rebounds and two assists.

 
UP NEXT

• After Wednesday night's game at Mercer, Samford will return home to play host to the Western Carolina Catamounts on Saturday, Jan. 8, in the Pete Hanna Center. The tip-off is set for 2 p.m. The Catamounts were picked to finish 10th in both the Southern Conference's coaches and media preseason polls. Samford was tabbed eighth by the coaches and ninth in the media poll.

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS

• For the latest news and information on Samford Men's Basketball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordSports (Facebook), @SamfordMBB (Twitter), and @SamfordMBB (Instagram).