Men’s Hoops Hosts UNCG in Battle for First in SoCon Standings

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford Bulldogs (18-9, 12-2 SoCon) will host the UNC Greensboro Spartans (18-9, 12-2 SoCon) on Wednesday, Feb. 15 in a battle for first place in the Southern Conference Standings.

Tip-off from the Pete Hanna Center is set for 6:30 p.m., with the contest streaming live on ESPN+.

Both the Bulldogs and Spartans come in with a conference record of 12-2 and make up for two-thirds of a three-way tie for first place in the SoCon standings with Furman.

The Bulldogs hold the tiebreaker over UNCG as the result of a 70-68 win against the Spartans on Jan. 7 in Greensboro. Logan Dye and A.J. Staton-McCray both logged 17 points, with Dye adding a team-high eight rebounds in the win.

Wednesday's match-up is the 34th meeting between Samford and UNCG, in a series that dates back to 1992. The Bulldogs halted an 11-game skid to the Spartans last season and have now won their last three against UNCG.

Wednesday's match-up features two teams playing in their ideal settings. The Bulldogs are a perfect 7-0 when hosting SoCon teams this season while UNCG is 6-0 in conference road games.

The Bulldogs are averaging 78 points and 32.3 rebounds per contest in SoCon home games this season, while shooting 46 percent from the floor and posting a +10 scoring margin

Dye is averaging a team-high 17 points per game against SoCon opponents in the Pete Hanna Center while Marshall is averaging 16.3 points and a team-best 7.3 boards per contest. Glover is also averaging double figures with a clip of 13.7 points per game versus league opponents at home.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 76-70 home victory against The Citadel on Saturday. Despite The Citadel shooting 52 percent (26-50) on the afternoon, Samford's defense stepped up to force 22 turnovers and 13 steals, both season-highs in SoCon play.

Marshall (23), Glover (16), and Dye (16) combined to score 55 points for the Bulldogs in the win, with Marshall pulling down a team-best seven rebounds.

Samford Men's Hoops' 12 SoCon wins mark the most by the Bulldogs since joining the conference in 2008. Four more wins would match the most conference wins in program history, set by the 1998-99 squad that finished 15-1 in TAAC play.

The Bulldogs need just two more victories to achieve its second-straight 20-win season. It would mark the first time since the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 campaigns that the Bulldogs got to 20 wins in consecutive seasons

The Spartans have won their last four contests, including a 97-89 overtime win against Wofford at home on Sunday, Feb. 12. Keyshaun Langley led the Spartans with 27 points while Mohammed Abdulsalam recorded 19 points and 14 rebounds.

Langley leads UNCG in scoring average at 14.3 points per game while ranking seventh in the SoCon in scoring average in conference games at 16.1 points per game.

The Spartans have been the best defensive team on paper in conference play, where they are holding opponents to a league-best 62 points per game, 40 percent on field goals, and 36 percent on threes.

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Players Mentioned

#22 Logan Dye: F; 6' 9"; Senior

#5 A.J. Staton-McCray: G; 6' 5"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#22 Logan Dye
: 6' 9"; Senior
: F

#5 A.J. Staton-McCray
: 6' 5"; Sophomore
: G

Samford University Athletics

Players Mentioned

#22 Logan Dye

#5 A.J. Staton-McCray

Players Mentioned

#22 Logan Dye

#5 A.J. Staton-McCray