Jan. 26, 2006

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team survived a late rally from the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks on Thursday as the Bulldogs held on for a thrilling 67-60 Ohio Valley Conference victory at home in a jam-packed Seibert Hall.

With the win, Samford (13-5, 9-2 OVC) earned its third-consecutive victory and moved into first place in the conference standings.

Heading into Thursday's league games, the Bulldogs were a half-game out of the top spot behind Tennessee Tech, but Murray State picked up a 55-51 win over the Golden Eagles at home in Murray, Ky.

Samford and Murray State are now tied atop the league's standings at 9-2, but the Bulldogs hold the tiebreaker due to a 61-50 win earlier this season.

The Bulldogs will square off against Murray State for the second time this year on Monday as the teams meet in a critical OVC matchup Regional Special Events Center in Murray, Ky.

The game can be heard live on WVSU 91.1-FM or via the Internet at either www.samfordsports.com or www.al.com/WVSU.

Samford's J. Robert Merritt scored a game-high 25 points on Thursday and came just one rebound shy of earning his third double-double of the season.

The Bulldogs' senior sharpshooter entered the game as the No. 3-ranked 3-point shooter in the nation and finished 5-of-11 from the arc. He was also a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line.

Sophomore Travis Peterson tallied 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, while Randall Gulina added 15 points hit a pair of game-clenching shots down the stretch.

"I have to give a lot of credit to our guys for stepping up in the last minute and a half," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "They know that they have to play the entire 40 minutes each night and I think that they did that."

Tennessee-Martin (7-11, 4-8 OVC) lost its third-straight conference game and been defeated in eight of its previous 10 matchups.

The Skyhawks finished with three players scoring in doubles figures and were led by senior Jeremy Kelly's 16 points. A guard from Louisville, Ky., Kelly shot 5-of-14 from the floor, but scored all 13 of his second-half points during the final 9:04 of the game.

Fellow-senior Jared Newson added 15 points and grabbed four rebounds, while junior Will Lewis nearly picked up a double-double with 10 points and nine boards.

After Tennessee-Martin's Will Lewis connected on a layup with 2:37 remaining to even the score at 59-59, the Bulldogs called a 30-second timeout to regroup. Gulina then gave Samford a two-point lead with 1:12 left in the game before the Skyhawks' Zerek Knight trimmed it to 61-60 with a free throw.

On Samford's next possession, Gulina knocked down another key jumper in the lane and the Bulldogs used the momentum to hold on for the 67-60 win.

Gulina, a 6-1 junior from Baton Rouge, La., shot 5-of-13 from the floor and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. He is currently Samford's top free-throw shooter at 83.9 percent.

"I think that Randall's play was key for us late in the game," Tillette said. "He was able to make those two big baskets and his intensity helped put us over the top. Another thing is that he was able to step up and make his free throws."

Junior point guard Jerry Smith finished with a game-high seven assists and added five points. He also pulled down three rebounds and only committed two turnovers. The Bulldogs only turned the ball over eight times in the game and committed just two in the first half.

Despite a sluggish performance during opening five minutes of the game, Samford led by as many as 17 points in the first half and took a 33-21 lead into the intermission.

"We were able to jump out to a big lead and I think that we ran the offense well in the first half," said Tillette. "We didn't shoot too consistently throughout the game and we really didn't shoot the ball well in the second half."

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action on Saturday as the Bulldogs conclude their two-game OVC homestand against the Austin Peay Govs at 2 p.m.

The game can be heard live on WVSU 91.1-FM or via the Internet at either www.samfordsports.com or www.al.com/WVSU.