BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford Bulldogs Men's Basketball Team (12-7, 6-0 SoCon) will put its six-game winning streak to open Southern Conference play to the test on Wednesday, Jan 18 when they take on the ETSU Bucs (7-12, 3-3 SoCon) in Johnson City, Tenn.
 
Wednesday's contest will tip off at 6:00 p.m. (CST) and stream live on ESPN+.
 
The match-up is the 19th meeting between Samford and ETSU, in a series that dates back to the 1978-79 season. The Bucs hold a 17-2 series advantage.
 
Samford split its season series with ETSU in 2021-22, earning a 77-73 road win on Feb. 2, 2022. Jermaine Marshall and Jaden Campbell both scored 15 points in the win, with Marshall hauling in a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
The Bulldogs sit alone atop the Southern Conference standings following a 75-74 comeback win against Chattanooga on Saturday in which the Mocs led by as many as 19 points. Bubba Parham knocked down a pair of free throws with four seconds left to clinch the comeback win.
 
Logan Dye led the Bulldogs with a 23-point, six-rebound, and five-assist performance in the win. Marshall finished with 15 points and nine rebounds while Parham and A.J. Staton-McCray both added 12 points.
 
The Bulldogs minimized turnovers against Chattanooga, conceding just seven while dishing out 12 assists.
 
The Bulldogs are one of just two NCAA Division I teams in the state of Alabama that remain undefeated in conference play, joining the Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0).
 
Dye comes into the week ranking third in the SoCon in scoring average in conference games at 20.2 points per game. The senior forward ranks third in field goal percentage in SoCon games (60%) and has scored at least 17 points in every conference game this season
 
Dye has amassed 968 career points and needs just 32 more to reach 1,000 for his collegiate career at Samford.

Marshall ranks in the top 15 in the league in both scoring and rebounding averages in SoCon games while Staton-McCray is shooting 67 percent in SoCon games this season, ranking him second in the league.
 
Samford ranks 23rd in the nation with an average of 9.4 made threes per game. That mark ranks only fifth in the SoCon, solidifying it as one of the nation's top three-point shooting conferences.
 
The Bulldogs have been the best three-point shooting team in league play so far, converting 72 of 172 attempts for an efficiency of 42 percent against SoCon teams.  
 
The Bulldogs, who lead the league with a field-goal efficiency of 49 percent in conference play, have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in four of six SoCon games this season.
 
The ETSU Bucs (7-12, 3-3 SoCon) fell 68-55 at home against Mercer their last time out on Saturday, Jan. 14. Justice Smith led a trio of Bucs that scored in double figures with a 17-point, six-rebound effort.
 
Jordan King is averaging 16.2 points per game in conference games, which ranks for seventh-best among SoCon players. King was named SoCon Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 27.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 3.5 steals in two games last week.
 
The Bucs have held SoCon opponents to just 67.3 points per game and 40 percent on field goals, both the second-lowest marks in the conference.
 
Desmond Oliver enters his second season at the helm of ETSU following a six-year stint as an assistant coach at Tennessee. The Buffalo, N.Y. native brings 27 years of Division I coaching experience with him to Johnson City.
 
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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).