Bulldogs Conclude Road Trip At Alabama A&M

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – To polish off a three-game early season road trip, the Samford women's basketball team is set for an all-Bulldog affair at Alabama A&M on Thursday.

Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m. CT with the game streaming on the Alabama A&M Athletics Youtube channel. Samford's game notes can be found here.

Samford enters the contest with a 0-3 record after falling on Opening Night by a score of 66-62 to Troy before dropping the first leg of the road trip 81-51 to Vanderbilt and the second leg 75-70 to Tennessee Tech in a thriller.

The Bulldogs of Samford and Alabama A&M are meeting for the seventh-time in program history. Samford holds a 4-2 advantage, but Alabama A&M won the last meeting in 2021, 72-47.

Senior guard Andrea Cournoyer returns to anchor a Samford lineup that features a unique blend of returners and newcomers. The Merryville, La., native, played in 30 games for the Bulldogs en route to being named to the 2021-22 All-SoCon First Team. Cournoyer averaged 16.3 points per game while contributing 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Cournoyer was one of the two Bulldogs named to the 2022-23 Preseason All-SoCon Team. Cournoyer is averaging 22.7 points per game which ranks 24th in the country and second in the Southern Conference.

Joining Cournoyer, on the 2022-23 Preseason All-SoCon Team is sophomore center Sussy Ngulefac. Ngulefac, the Co-Freshman of the Year in 2021-22, shoot 63.9% from the floor to lead the SoCon. The Lilburn, Ga. native ranked second on the team averaging 9.5 points per contest and 4.5 boards per game while scoring in double-figures 16 times. Ngulefac is averaging 15 points and 6.7 boards per game in the early stages of the season.

Kathleen Wheeler returns after showing major improvement last year and looks to have a bigger role this season. Other returning players who saw time last year are Kiersten Nelson and Mattie Hatcher. Players who return after redshirting last season include Carly Heidger, Nicole Azar and Emily Bowman. Three transfers were added in the offseason in Macey Lee (North Alabama), Cydney Rivera (Pepperdine) and Rylie Stephens (Evansville).

A pair of true freshmen have also joined the team for this season. Masyn Marchbanks (Hartselle, Ala.) and Alyssa Tarpley (Gunter, Texas), both look to make an impact in their first collegiate seasons.

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

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Players Mentioned

#11 Andrea Bailey: G; 5' 4"; Junior

#32 Kiersten Nelson: F; 6' 1"; Freshman

#23 Kathleen Wheeler: F; 5' 10"; Redshirt Freshman

#21 Nicole Azar: G; 5' 11"; Freshman

#5 Carly Heidger: G; 6' 3"; Freshman

#35 Sussy Ngulefac: C; 6' 3"; Freshman

#44 Emily Bowman: C; 6' 5"; Freshman

#25 Mattie Hatcher: G; 5' 4"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#11 Andrea Bailey
: 5' 4"; Junior
: G

#32 Kiersten Nelson
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: F

#23 Kathleen Wheeler
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Freshman
: F

#21 Nicole Azar
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: G

#5 Carly Heidger
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: G

#35 Sussy Ngulefac
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: C

#44 Emily Bowman
: 6' 5"; Freshman
: C

#25 Mattie Hatcher
: 5' 4"; Freshman
: G

Samford University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned