Samford Game Information
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Chattanooga Game Information
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CHARLESTON, S.C. –The Citadel basketball team returns home this week for two Southern Conference (SoCon) games at McAlister Field House. The Bulldogs first welcome Samford to town on Thursday, Jan. 11 for a 6 p.m. tipoff before turning their attention to a 1 p.m. tip against Chattanooga on Saturday, Jan. 13.

Thursday night's game is The Citadel Brigadier Foundation (TCBF) Night and will feature Elite Dance Team as the halftime entertainment. Saturday's game against Chattanooga is Host Parent Day and members of families hosting The Citadel's cadets will be admitted for just $5. Those discounted tickets can be ordered by calling the ticket office.

Heading into Thursday's battle of the Bulldogs, The Citadel owns an all-time series record of 11-7 over Samford dating back to the 1991-92 season. Since Samford join the SoCon for the 2008-09 campaign, the series record is 10-6 in favor of the Charleston Bulldogs. Prior to last year's second meeting, Samford had won three in a row, but The Citadel's 102-96 road win on Feb. 25, 2017 broke that streak. In Charleston, the series favors the homestanding Bulldogs 5-3 despite Samford winning the last two games inside McAlister Field House.

Prior to the season, Samford was tabbed second in both the coaches and media preseason SoCon polls, receiving four first-place votes by the media and three in the coaches poll. The Bulldogs are currently 6-10 on the year, including an 0-8 road mark. Despite this, Samford has started the SoCon campaign with a 2-1 record with wins over Chattanooga and Western Carolina and a loss to a strong ETSU program. Samford enters this week averaging 74.4 points per game, but is giving up 77.2 points per game to opponents. Similarly, the Bulldogs have been shooting 46.9% (428-of-912) from the field while allowing opposing teams to shoot 48.1% (447-of-929). Samford averages 8.6 three-pointers per game while their opponents have made 9.1 treys per contest.

A trio of Bulldogs have led the team in scoring this season with Demetrius Denzel-Dyson leading the charge with 14.5 points per contest. Denzel-Dyson has averaged 29.6 minutes per game and is currently shooting 45.7% (75-of-164) from the field and leads the team with 37 made three-pointers so far this season, an average of 2.3 per contest. Behind him, Justin Coleman averages 12.7 points and 5.4 assists per game in 29.9 minutes per outing while shooting 45.4% (74-of-163) while Alex Thompson averages 11.3 points, 24.2 minutes and 3.1 rebounds per game. Eric Adams leads the way under the net with 6.1 rebounds per game while Wyatt Walker has averaged 5.0 boards per contest. Three players have 21 steals on the year, including Coleman, Adams and Josh Sharkey. Denzel-Dyson and Adams have been the two most reliable starters for the Bulldogs so far this season with Denzel-Dyson starting 15 contests and Adams starting 14. Coleman has started 12 games while Alex Thompson has 11 starts. Christen Cunningham is the next closest with nine starts, but he hasn't played since Dec. 5 at Memphis.

Heading into Saturday's game with Chattanooga, the Mocs have controlled the all-time series between the two, owning a 62-17 record over the Bulldogs dating back to the 1925-26 season. The Mocs are 29-9 in Charleston, but the Bulldogs claimed the most recent meeting 85-76 last season on Feb. 27, 2017. The win by the 'Dogs broke a streak of eight straight wins by the Mocs dating back to the 2012-13 season.

Chattanooga enters the week with a 6-10 record as the Mocs have dropped their last four games, including starting SoCon play 0-3. The Mocs last won back on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017, defeating Jacksonville State 70-67 on the road. The Mocs are 1-6 in road games this season. Chattanooga enters the week averaging 68.0 points per game while giving up 69.2 points per outing to their opponents. The Mocs' opponents have been shooting 46.9% (416-of-887) from the field compared to 42.9% (374-of-871) for Chattanooga. The Mocs' opponents have only made 5.1 three-pointers per game while the Mocs average 8.7 treys per outing.

Makinde London has led the way in scoring so far, averaging 13.5 points per game in 15 starts. He averages 27.3 minutes per game while bringing down a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game. London also has a team-high 14 blocks on the year. Nat Dixon is second on the team with 13.0 points per game while averaging a team-best 34.6 minutes per outing. London leads the team with a 44.2% (65-of-147) shooting percentage for players who have attempted at least 100 field goals on the year and leads the team with 34 made treys. Rodney Chatman and Joshua Phillips are the final Mocs averaging double-digit points, scoring 11.5 and 10.0 points per outing, but Phillips has only seen action in eight games. James Lewis, Jr. is second on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game in 13 contests while Chatman leads the team with 4.0 assists per game. Dixon, Chatman and Makale Foreman have started all 16 games for Chattanooga while London has started 15 games and Lewis 13.

Following this week's two home games, the Bulldogs will hit the road for a three-game stretch over a two-week span. The Citadel travels to UNCG on Thursday, Jan. 18 before making the trek to VMI on Saturday, Jan. 20. The Bulldogs will close out the long stretch away from home with a game at Mercer on Saturday, Jan. 27.


For more information on The Citadel basketball team, follow @CitadelHoops and @CitadelSports or visit CitadelSports.com.