Jan. 20, 2005

Box Score

MOREHEAD, Ky. - The Samford University basketball team used a 30-14 run late in the second half to earn its fifth-consecutive victory on Thursday as the Bulldogs came from behind to knock off the Morehead State Eagles, 56-51, on the road in Johnson Arena.

"I thought that we were getting good looks all game long, but we just weren't hitting them in the first half," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "I thought that we gutted it out again today. We fought back from a big deficit and I'm very proud of our team."

Samford (10-6, 5-0 OVC) won its fifth-straight game for the first time since the 1998-99 season on Thursday and remained undefeated in Ohio Valley Conference play.

The Bulldogs were led by 15 points from sophomore point guard Jerry Smith and a 12-point performance from junior J. Robert Merritt. Smith knocked down four 3-point baskets in the second half and shot 5-of-6 from beyond the arc.

With 11:58 remaining in the game, Samford trailed by 11 points, 37-26, when freshman Travis Peterson stopped a 13-6 Morehead State run with a critical layup from the right side. From that point on, the Bulldogs would outscore the Eagles, 30-14, to end the game.

After Peterson's bucket, Samford made seven 3-point shots, including three from Smith.

Senior forwards Josh Hare and Jon Mills also hit crucial 3-point baskets down the stretch during the Bulldogs' late run.

"This was certainly a team win," Tillette said. "But after Jerry (Smith) committed his second turnover in the second half, I let him have it pretty good on the bench and I challenged him to step it up a little bit. I thought that he really responded and did a great job and I'm really proud of him."

Morehead State (7-9, 1-4 OVC) dropped its third-consecutive game and lost its sixth of its previous seven contest. The Eagles were led by 15 points from both Josh Reed and Chad McNight.

At halftime, Morehead State held a slight 24-20 advantage in the game behind the inside scoring of senior Chad McKnight.

The Eagles' 6-7 forward registered a game-high 10 points in the first half of play and shot 4-of-5 from the field. McKnight also finished the opening 20 minutes of the game 2-of-3 from the charity stripe.

Samford's J. Robert Merritt scored the team's first eight points of the game on Thursday as the Bulldogs' sharpshooter hit his first three baskets, two of which come from beyond the arc. After Merritt's second 3-point shot to open the game, Samford clung to an 8-7 advantage with 16:02 remaining in the half.

Five of the Bulldogs' first six field goals came from 3-point land.

After Merritt opened with a pair of threes, senior Jon Mills downed a long-range shot and then both Joe Ross Merritt and Jerry Smith connected on 3-pointer to give Samford a 17-15 lead at the 12:00 mark. The Bulldogs shot 38.5 percent from downtown in the first half.

Samford shot 43.8 percent in the first half of play and was led in scoring by J. Robert Merritt's eight points. The Eagles shot 55.0 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes of play, but were 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action on Saturday as the Bulldogs continue their four-game OVC road trip against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at 6:30 p.m. (CST) in Richmond, Ky.