GAME NOTES -- GEORGIA STATE vs. SAMFORD (PDF)
CANCUN, Mexico - The Samford men's basketball team returns to play on Tuesday afternoon as they open play against Georgia State at the Cancun Challenge. The Bulldogs enter with a 3-4 record while the Panthers sit at 1-5.
The Bulldogs and the Panthers are meeting for the 49th time in school history, with GSU holding a 25-23 lead in the series. The Dogs are coming off an 81-72 defeat at New Mexico State in their last contest on Friday night, while the Panthers fell 105-58 against South Dakota State in their previous game.
Against the Aggies, Kam Martin had his best game in a Samford uniform as he led the team with 17 points off the bench while going 7-of-12 from the field. Zion Wilburn was put into the starting lineup and responded with 15 points, tying his career high. Jadin Booth leads the Dogs, scoring 21.1 points per game, but he was held to a season-low 3 points at New Mexico State as he was 1-of-8 from the floor. Jaxon Pollard came off the bench against NMSU and put in a 9-point and 5 -rebound performance in 20 minutes.
After making double-digit threes in every game to start the season, the Bulldogs have now gone back-to-back games making just 7 and 8 from deep in losses to Florida Gulf Coast and New Mexico State. Keaton Norris leads the Southern Conference in assists per game with 5.4 apg and starting big Dylan Faulkner is second on the team in scoring at 13.0 ppg and is leading the team with 5.6 rpg.
Georgia State enters the game with a 1-5 record on the season, with their victory coming at home against Fort Valley State 90-56. Head coach Jonas Hayes is in his fourth season with the Panthers, leading them to 14 wins the past two seasons. Georgia State was picked to finish 11th in the 14-team Sun Belt Preseason Coaches Poll. Jelani Hamilton is leading the Panthers in scoring with 16.3 points per game.
The game can be seen on FloCollege here, and live stats can be followed 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).
