Dec. 12, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team will complete its arduous three-game road swing against the Saint Louis Billikens on Saturday at 4 p.m., as the Bulldogs and Billikens face off in a non-conference matchup to be held at the newly-opened Chaifetz Arena (10,600) in St. Louis, Mo.

Fans unable to attend the game in person can listen live to Samford's broadcast on WVSU 91.1 FM or via the internet at www.samford.edu/groups/wvsu.

Samford (3-3) heads into Saturday's contest with an unblemished 3-0 record at home this season. Conversely, the Bulldogs are 0-3 when playing away from Birmingham and have dropped road games against Belmont, No. 21-ranked Ohio State and Georgia Southern.

In its three road losses this season, Samford has compiled less than stellar shooting percentages from the field (37.8), from 3-point range (27.5) and from the free-throw line (58.1). The Bulldogs are also committing an average of 18.7 turnovers per road game this season.

Samford is 0-2 on its current road swing after losing at Ohio State on Nov. 29 and more recently dropping its Southern Conference opener at Georgia Southern 66-59 on Dec. 6. Against GSU, the Bulldogs held a 34-28 advantage at the half, but went 0-for-8 from the free-throw line down the stretch in an eventual seven-point defeat.

Saint Louis (3-4) owns a 3-1 record at home this season. The Billikens have won two-straight games at Chaifetz Arena and most recently earned a suffocating 55-37 victory against Savannah State on Dec. 6.

With its 18-point win over Savannah State, Saint Louis snapped a three-game losing streak that featured consecutive road defeats at Nebraska 71-57, Detroit 62-57 and Southern Illinois 64-48.

The Billikens' leading scorer this season is senior guard Kevin Lisch. Saint Louis' 6-foot-2 native of Belleville, Ill., is averaging 14.2 points per game and is also leading the team with a near-perfect 90-percent mark from the free-throw line (27-of-30).

So far this season, Samford has not allowed an opposing player to score more than 16 points in a game. On Nov. 29, the 16-point total was achieved by Ohio State's Evan Turner.

Saturday's matchup will be the second all-time meeting between Samford and Saint Louis. During the 1993-94 campaign, the teams squared off in St. Louis, Mo., and the Bulldogs nearly pulled off a thrilling road upset in a 70-68 decision against the Billikens. The game was held almost 15 years ago on Dec. 20, 1993.

Samford's 2008-09 roster is comprised of players from eight different states. Only sophomore Josh Bedwell (Hartselle) hails from the state of Alabama, while Curtis West, Trey Montgomery and Kaylin Johnson are from nearby Louisiana.

The rest of Samford's roster is made up of players all the way from Florida (Gaby Bermudez and John Peterson) to Nebraska (Andy King). Louisiana and Texas are the most represented states on the team with three players each. This season, the Bulldogs' Josh Davis, Bryan Friday and Matthew Friday all call the "Lone Star State" home.

The remaining four states that Samford players call home are Illinois (Jim Griffin), Oklahoma (Jeffrey Merritt) and Tennessee (Peter Carroll).

Earlier this week, the first conference RPI rankings were released and the SoCon was ranked sixth overall. It was the conference's highest ranking of all-time. Additionally, the Ohio Valley Conference came in as the 26th-ranked league out of 32.

The Bulldogs are currently ranked first in the SoCon in a pair of statistical categories. Additionally, Samford is ranked among the top-five teams in the conference in another two listings. The Bulldogs are the top-ranked team in the SoCon in both scoring defense (59.8 ppg) and field-goal percentage defense (39.4).

Furthermore, Samford is the third-ranked team in rebounding defense (33.8 rpg) and the fourth-ranked team in the SoCon in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (32.6).

Individually, the Bulldogs' Davis is ranked fifth in the conference in 3-point field-goal percentage with a 47.6 mark from beyond the arc. Samford's 6-foot-4 shooting guard has connected on 10 of his 21 attempts from 3-point range this season. Davis is also ranked seventh in the SoCon in field-goal percentage (52.9).

Saturday's game will most likely be a low-scoring affair. Samford is averaging 57.2 points per game and is only allowing 59.8 points per contest. Saint Louis is scoring at an average of 56 points per game and is only allowing 56.1 points per outing.

Following Samford's non-conference matchup at Saint Louis on Saturday, the Bulldogs will next be in action Thursday at 7 p.m., as they return home for the first time since Nov. 24 to host the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at the Pete Hanna Center.

Samford Basketball Game Notes
GameTracker - Samford at Saint Louis
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