GAME NOTES -- SAMFORD vs. MERCER  (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford men's basketball team returns to the Pete Hanna Center on Wednesday night to host Mercer with a tip scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The Bulldogs enter the game with an 18-5 record and sit atop the Southern Conference with an 8-2 mark in league play while the Bears sit at 11-12 overall and are 4-6 in the SoCon.

The Samford Bulldogs are coming off an 83-58 victory at The Citadel on Saturday. The Dogs completed the season sweep over The Citadel, winning both games by 25+ points. Five different Bulldogs scored in double-figures led by Trey Fort who finished with 17 points in just 17 minutes on the court. The Bulldogs tied their season-high in field goal percentage against The Citadel at 58.2% shooting from the floor.

The Bulldogs and Mercer Bears meet for the 128th time in series history with Mercer holding a 75-52 all-time. When the two sides met earlier in Macon this season, the Bulldogs came away with a 75-74 win. The Bulldogs won in the final second as Rylan Jones was fouled and knocked down a free throw to take the one-point win. Jaden Brownell led Samford with 18 points in the previous matchup, helped by Rylan Jones and Collin Holloway who each finished with 11 points.

The matchup features the two highest scoring teams in the SoCon as Samford sits at 83.7 ppg while Mercer is at 79.7. Samford is 9th in the country in caused turnovers forced per game at 16.26 and is a top-5 three-point shooting team offensively. The Bulldogs sit 98th in the NET rankings, the highest-ranked team in the Southern Conference ahead of UNCG who sits 125th. The Dogs are 14th in the country in assists per game, averaging 17.3 per game.

Mercer enters the game with an 11-12 record overall on the season and is 4-6 in Southern Conference play. The Bears split their games last week, defeating The Citadel before falling to Chattanooga 93-84 in their last game. Head coach Ryan Ridder is in his first season as the head coach of the Bears after previous head coaching stops at Daytona State, Bethune Cookman, and UT Martin. The Bears were picked to finish seventh in the SoCon Preseason Poll and are led by Ahmad Robinson who averages 17.6 points per game. Samford has won six of the seven previous meetings in the matchup.

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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).