March 3, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford women's basketball team will play host to Eastern Kentucky in a first-round game in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, Tuesday evening at the Pete Hanna Center.

Samford, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, enters the game with a record of 22-8 after a 68-60 loss at Eastern Illinois on Saturday. EKU, the tournament's No. 7 seed, is currently 14-13 after a 68-66 loss to Tennessee State on Saturday. The 22 wins for Samford is a program record.

The winner of Tuesday night's game will advance to Friday's semifinals at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. The winner of the Samford-EKU game will take on the winner of the Murray State-Morehead State game Friday at 2 p.m. The championship game of the tournament is scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m.

Samford and Eastern Kentucky are meeting for the 12th time with EKU holding a 6-5 advantage in the series. The teams split the season series this year, with each team winning at home. EKU won, 72-45, in Richmond, Ky. on Jan. 19, and Samford won, 71-48, at the Pete Hanna Center on Feb. 16.

Samford has a record of 4-6 all-time in the postseason, and the Bulldogs are 2-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. Last season, Samford reached the semifinals of the tournament, falling to eventual champion Southeast Missouri.

Samford is led in scoring by freshman Emily London, averaging 12.6 points per game. Sophomore Monica Maxwell is second on the team in scoring, with an average of 10.9 points per game.

Freshman Savannah Hill leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 4.7 rebounds per game. Senior Alex Munday and junior Chika Okoli are tied for second in rebounding, with each averaging 4.0 boards per contest.

Senior Taryn Towns is the team-leader in assists, dishing out 3.7 assists per game. London is second in assists, with an average of 2.5 per game.

Tuesday night's game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start from the Pete Hanna Center.