March 2, 2005

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - After trailing by as many as seven points in the first half, the Samford University basketball team battled back to take a five-point lead with 7:31 remaining in the game before the experienced Austin Peay Governors closed out the contest with a 20-8 run on the road in Seibert Hall, 71-60.

"Late in the game we were leading, 52-51, and then the next time I looked up, we were trailing, 65-54," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "Austin Peay was able to hit some big threes down the stretch and we just made too many mistakes on the offensive end."

Samford (15-13) finished its 2004-05 season with a 15-13 overall record and a 10-7 mark against Ohio Valley Conference opponents.

The Bulldogs qualified for its second-straight OVC Tournament and turned in its sixth winning season under Tillette. Since Samford's eighth-year head coach took over the program in 1997, the Bulldogs have only failed to finish above .500 twice.

Samford, the preseason-picked No. 10-team in the league's initial standings, finished the 2005 campaign as the fourth-place squad in the OVC and earned the right to host its first conference tournament game in school history. The Bulldogs ended the season with a 10-3 record at Seibert Hall and a 7-2 mark at home against OVC opponents.

Prior to Tuesday's game, Samford was shooting a stellar 42.5 percent from beyond the arc in Seibert Hall. The Bulldogs finished their first-round matchup against Austin Peay (12-18) with the season's third-lowest performance from 3-point range at 28.6 percent.

"We didn't shoot the ball well from the arc tonight," Tillette said. "That was the difference in the game and we also committed too many untimely turnovers late in the second half. It's unfortunate that we lost, but I have to give my congratulations to Austin Peay, because they beat us tonight and they have a lot of good guys with some good experience."

With the win, Austin Peay advanced to the semifinal round of the 2005 O'Reilly OVC Tournament for the 18th time in school history and will face regular-season champion Tennessee Tech on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Tennessee Tech overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat No. 8-seed Eastern Illinoins, 72-68, in Cookeville, Tenn., on Tuesday.

In the nightcap of Friday's semifinal round of the OVC Tournament, the second-seeded Eastern Kentucky Colonels will square off against the No. 6-seed Southeast Missouri at 8 p.m., on ESPNU. The Colonels knocked off Tennessee State, 74-68, on Tuesday, while Southeast Missouri upended the No.3-seed Murray State, 61-58.

Samford led the Govenors, 50-45, with 7:31 remaining in the game after sophomore Randall Gulina drained a 30-foot 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring. The bucket, one of Gulina's four on the day, gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the contest and proved to be the tail end of an 18-9 Samford run.

On the ensuing possession, Austin Peay's Zac Schlader scored two of his 12 points to stop the Bulldogs' run. The Governors' 6-9 junior from Columbia, Mo., finished as one of three APSU players in double figures and led the team with a game-high eight rebounds.

"I have to thank our four seniors for all of their hard work and contributions to the team over the years," said Tillette. "We have a great group of seniors on this team and they really exceeded their expectations this year. Nobody gave us any respect heading into this season and we finished fourth in the league. These seniors did a great job of getting us back on track."

Samford's 6-7 senior Bryan Boerjan ended Tuesday's game with 11 points, two rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal.

He finished with a perfect 3-of-3 shooting performance from the field and an unblemished 5-of-5 mark from the free-throw line. The Bulldogs' heady forward from Rock Falls, Ill., ended the game as one of the three Samford players to score in double figures.

Junior J. Robert Merritt led the Bulldogs in scoring for the 19th time this season and finished Tuesday's contest with 19 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field. A 6-6 forward from Oklahoma City, Okla., Merritt paced the team with three 3-point baskets, but shot 3-of-10 from beyond the arc.

With Austin Peay leading the contest, 54-52, one of the most critical plays of the game occurred with only 4:07 remaining.

After a second-straight 3-point basket from the Governors, the Bulldogs' Gulina drove hard to the bucket and was fouled by Austin Peay's Maurice Hampton. On the play, Samford's fiery guard from Baton Rouge, La., tweaked his ankle and was limping substantially on the ensuing play.

Gulina fouled the Governors' Anthony Davis on the next possession and was replaced by freshman Curtis West.

Prior to the injury, Gulina was leading Samford with five rebounds and was second on the team in scoring with 13 points. The Bulldogs' emotional leader was unable to return to the floor for the remainder of the game and Samford scored eight points in the final four minutes of play.

At the half, Austin Peay held a slight 32-28 advantage in the game and was led in scoring by Hampton. The Governors' speedy 6-2 junior tallied 10 points in the opening 20 minutes of play and finished with 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the floor.

The Samford University basketball team will have three returning starters on next year's squad and will boast eight returning lettermen, as well as talented redshirt freshman Jason Black.

2005 O'Reilly Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
Men's Basketball First-Round Results

#1 Tennessee Tech def. #8 Eastern Illinois, 72-68
#2 Eastern Kentucky def. #7 Tennessee State, 74-68
#6 Southeast Missouri def. #3 Murray State, 61-58
#5 Austin Peay def #4 Samford, 71-60

Friday's Second-Round Matchups
#1 Tennessee Tech vs. #5 Austin Peay, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN FullCourt)
#2 Eastern Kentucky vs. #6 Southeast Missouri, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)