BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford Bulldogs will hit the road for a pivotal Southern Conference contest against the Bears of Mercer University on Wednesday, Feb. 8.
 
Tip-off from Macon, Ga. is set for 6:00 p.m., with the contest streaming live on ESPN+.
 
Wednesday match-up is the 123rd meeting between Samford and Mercer, in a series that dates to 1903. Despite trailing the Bears 48-74 in the series, the Bulldogs have won the last two matchups.
 
The teams met earlier this season on Dec. 28 in the Pete Hanna Center, with Samford earning a 78-69 win to open SoCon play. Logan Dye (23) and Jermaine Marshall (25) combined for 48 points while the Bulldogs shot a season-high 57 percent from the three-point line in the victory.
 
The Bulldogs are coming off a 73-62 home victory against ETSU on Saturday, improving the team's SoCon record to 10-2 through 12 games and locking them in a three-way tie with Furman and UNCG for the top spot in the SoCon standings.
 
Samford did not trail in their win over ETSU on Saturday. The Bulldogs outscored the Bucs 26-7 over the first 12 minutes, setting the tone for the day and paving the way for the conference win.
 
A.J. Staton-McCray led the Bulldogs with 16 points, six rebounds, and six steals on the afternoon. Staton-McCray's stingy defense helped the Bulldogs swipe 12 steals and force 19 turnovers that led to 25 points.
 
Samford knocked down 26 of 33 foul shots in the win, marking the fifth time this season that the Bulldogs converted 25 or more free throws in a game.
 
The Bulldogs' 10 conference wins match their total from last season when they finished third in the SoCon regular-season standings. It also marks their best record through 12 games since joining the league in 2008.
 
The Bulldogs are averaging 76.7 points and 34.8 rebounds per contest in SoCon road games this season, while shooting 48 percent from the floor
 
Through six road conference match-ups, Dye is averaging a team-high 18 points per game and shooting 59 percent while Ques Glover (17.3 PPG), Staton-McCray (12.2), and Marshall (10.2)  are also averaging double figures in scoring. Marshall is averaging a team-best seven rebounds per game, with Dye hauling in 6.5 boards per game.
 
The Mercer Bears (12-13, 5-7 SoCon) trounced VMI 80-54 at home their last time out on Feb. 4. Jalyn McCreary led Mercer with 22 points and seven rebounds while Braden Sparks added 15 and five.
 
McCreary comes into the contest leading the Bears in both scoring (15.7 PPG) and rebounding averages (5.7 RPG.) Kamar Robertson has knocked down a team-high 35 threes and is averaging 11.5 points per contest
 
The Bears are holding opponents to just 67.7 points per game this season, a mark that ranks second in the SoCon. On the offensive side, Mercer is averaging 69.8 points per game and shooting 45.3 percent.
 
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