Jan. 22, 2005

Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. --- The Samford University basketball team extended its winning streak to six-consecutive games on Saturday as the Bulldogs shot a torrid 61.1 percent from 3-point range in a come-from-behind 67-61 victory over the Eastern Kentucky Colonels.

"This was a big win for our team and I'm extremely proud of the toughness that they showed out there today," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "Eastern Kentucky beat us three times last season and that was just because they weren't able to play us four times. We just played with a lot more toughness today."

Samford (11-6, 6-0 OVC) remained undefeated in conference play and snapped its three-game losing steak against the Colonels. The Bulldogs were led in scoring by junior J. Robert Merritt, who finished with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor.

Merritt hit five of his nine 3-point field goal attempts and led the Bulldogs to their comeback victory. Joe Ross Merritt and Jerry Smith tacked on 13 points apiece in the victory.

Samford trailed by 16 points early in the second half, but then went on a 31-7 run from the 15:46 mark to 2:07 late in the game.

Eastern Kentucky (11-6, 3-3 OVC) lost its first home game of the season and was led in scoring by both Zach Ingles and Alonzo Hird with 11 points apiece.

At halftime, the Colonels held a 30-17 advantage in the game behind the inside scoring from forwards Hird and Ryan Wiersma.

Hird, a 6-9 junior from Deland, Fla., scored eight first-half points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, while Wiersma also tallied eight points in the opening 20 minutes of play on a similar 4-of-5 performance. Wiersma, a 6-6 freshman from Newark, Ohio, scored his eight first-half points on only 10 minutes of play.

Eastern Kentucky jumped out to an early 8-0 lead in the contest with four points from Hird and a game-opening jump shot from Jason McLeish.

J. Robert Merritt snapped the Colonels' early run as Samford's junior forward scored the team's first points of the game at the 13:09 mark with a layup from the right side.

The Colonels extended their lead to 17-5 with 7:37 remaining in the half when Samford's Josh Hare scored three of his first-half five points on a deep 3-point basket from the right wing. The bucket helped guide the Bulldogs on a 7-0 run to the 4:57 mark in the half and cut Eastern Kentucky's advantage to 17-12.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action on Thursday, Jan. 27, as the Bulldogs remain on the road for the third game of its current four-game road trip against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at 8 p.m. The critical OVC contest will be televised live by CSS/Comcast Sports from Lantz Arena in Charleston, Ill.