GAME NOTES -- SAMFORD vs. FURMAN (PDF)

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The Samford men's basketball team opens postseason play in the Southern Conference Tournament on Saturday night against Furman. The Bulldogs bid for their second-straight NCAA Tournament bid begins as the No. 4 seed with tip scheduled for 7:30 p.m. against the Paladins. The Bulldogs enter play with a 22-9 record overall and a 12-6 mark in SoCon play while Furman enters at 23-8 and 11-7 in league play.

The Samford Bulldogs are coming off a 108-100 defeat at UNCG on March 1 in their season finale. The defeat dropped the Dogs into fourth place in the Southern Conference standings at the end of the year. Trey Fort and Josh Holloway led the way offensively, as they scored 29 and 23 points respectively.

After hitting a mid-conference schedule scoring slump, the Bulldogs closed the season on an offensive tear, averaging 96 points per game in their final three games. The Dogs had three players honored as the SoCon awards were released on Wednesday. Rylan Jones finished on the Second Team, Trey Fort was a Third Team member, and Josh Holloway was named Sixth Man of the Year and on the Defense Team. Head Coach Bucky McMillan is one win away from career victory 100 at Samford.

Samford and Furman meet in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament as the No. 4 & No. 5 matchup. The Paladins and the Bulldogs meet for the 41st time with Furman leading the all-time series 28-12. The Bulldogs fell in both games this season against the Paladins as they lost on the road 72-70 and then at home 80-72 four games ago. Samford had three players reach double-figures in the most recent game as Jaden Brownell scored a team-high 25 points. The winner of the game will face either No. 1 seed Chattanooga or the winner of the Mercer and Western Carolina first-round game.

Furman enters the game with a 23-8 record on the season and sits at 11-7 in SoCon play. The Paladins entered conference play with a 12-1 record with their lone defeat coming against Kansas. Furman has won four straight games, including a 78-75 win at Wofford in their last game. They were picked to finish fifth in the Preseason SoCon poll and had PJ Smith named to the Preseason All-Conference team. Two players average double-figures for the Furman with Smith averaging 17.2 ppg and Nick Anderson scoring 14.1 ppg.

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