GAME NOTES--SAMFORD VS. MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford men's basketball team begins its 2024-25 campaign on Monday, Nov. 4 as they host Mississippi College at 6:30 p.m. in the Pete Hanna Center. 

The season opener will be the 68th meeting between Samford and Mississippi College, with Samford holding a 38-29 series lead. Last season, the teams met in the Pete Hanna Center, with Samford winning by a score of 96-52.

Samford enters the season favorites in the Southern Conference, earning six of the ten first-place votes in the preseason poll. They finished last season with a 29-6 overall record and 15-3 in SoCon play, winning the regular-season title. Samford went on to win the SoCon Tournament and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Dogs carry the longest active home winning streak after going 18-0 last season in the friendly confines of Pete Hanna Center. In four seasons under head coach Bucky McMillan, Samford has a record of 48-10 at home. The Bulldogs are 3-1 in home openers since McMillan has been at the helm of the program. 

For the first time in program history, the Bulldogs have achieved 20 regular-season wins in three consecutive seasons. Samford has also posted records of 15-3 in SoCon play in each of the last two seasons, winning a share of the title in 2022-23 and winning the championship outright in 2023-24.

The Bulldogs are forced to replace their top-four leading scorers from last season's squad, returning just one starter Rylan Jones. Last season, Jones led the SoCon and ranked 11th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.28), and he ranked third in the SoCon in assists per game (5.0). Following the season, he was named the SoCon Newcomer of the Year, third-team All-SoCon and second-team NABC All-District. Entering this season, Jones was named preseason All-SoCon. 

Samford brings in ten newcomers this season, highlighted by three Division I transfers, Trey Fort (Mississippi State), Isiah West (Vanderbilt), and Collin Holloway (Tulane). The Bulldogs also add transfers Hamed "Larry" Olayinka (Utah Tech), Julian Brown (Wagner), Jaden Brownell (UIC), and Brody Davis (Birmingham Southern). Samford also brought in three freshmen in the class, Zion Wilburn, Corey Brown and Caleb Harrison. 

Riley Allenspach, Josh Holloway, and Lukas Walls all return after strong freshman campaigns last year. Last season, Allenspach played in 34 of the team's 35 games, averaging 5.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Holloway played in all 35 games that season, and he averaged 4.3 points per game. Walls saw action in 34 games, averaging 3.3 points per game for the Bulldogs.

Mississippi College posted a record of 13-16 overall and 12-12 in Gulf South Conference play during the 2023-24 season, finishing seventh in the regular-season standings in the Gulf South Conference. The Choctaws fell in the first round of the GSC Tournament.

Mississippi College head coach Randy Bolden is entering his fourth season in charge of the program. He has posted a record of 35-49 in his time at the school. The Choctaws return leading scorer Rashad Bolden. He was named a first-team All-GSC last season after averaging 24.4 points per game and leading the team with 133 assists. Bolden was named to the 2024-25 GSC preseason All-GSC team.

Monday night's game can be watched on ESPN+ and live stats will be available also. Dates and times for Samford games throughout the season can be found here.

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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).