March 3, 2006

Box Score

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Samford University basketball team took one more step towards earning an automatic berth in the 2006 NCAA Tournament on Friday as the Bulldogs played suffocating defense in a 73-66 victory over the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles in the semifinal round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.

With the win, Samford (20-10) advanced to the championship game of the eight-team field and will face off against top-seeded Murray State at 3 p.m., in the Gaylord Entertainment Center located in downtown Nashville, Tenn. It will be aired live to a national television audience by ESPN2.

"This was a big win for us and I think that we did a good job of playing as a team," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "Tennessee Tech has a very talented squad and I think that they showed that tonight, especially in the second half. We had a tough time hitting our shots, but Jerry Smith played well and helped us limit our turnovers."

Samford finished with three players scoring in double figures and were led by junior point guard Jerry Smith's 18 points. Down the stretch, Smith hit seven key free throws, including the Bulldogs' final four points of the game. He was 10-of-12 from the charity stripe in the victory.

Senior J. Robert Merritt added 17 points and eight rebounds, while Travis Peterson finished with 14 points and a game-high five assists.

Tennessee Tech (19-12), which entered Friday's contest as the No. 3 seed, was limited to 29.2 percent shooting in the first half and ended the game with a 43.9 mark from the floor. The Golden Eagles out-shot Samford from beyond the arc at 38.1 percent. The Bulldogs only connected on 28 percent of their 3-point attempts.

Anthony Fisher paced Tennessee Tech with 20 points, 18 of which came in the second half. He drained four 3-point baskets in the final period of play and helped lead the Golden Eagles' late charge.

Samford led by as many as 18 points, but Tennessee Tech rallied in the second half and trimmed the advantage to seven with 6:27 remaining.

The Bulldogs then used a critical 3-point bucket from J. Robert Merritt, a two-handed slam dunk from Peterson and layup from Curtis West to stave off the charge. West's drive and score came with one second remaining on the shot clock and gave Samford a 59-47 lead.

The Bulldogs used a key 21-6 run midway through the first half of play to build a 33-19 halftime lead.

During the stretch, Samford knocked down five 3-point baskets, including four-straight.

Senior J. Robert Merritt, the newly-crowned OVC Player of the Year, led all scorers with 10 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-6 native of Oklahoma City, Okla., was 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line.

Samford trailed the Golden Eagles, 8-7, with 11:47 remaining in the half when the Bulldogs strung together their early 21-6 run.

West started Samford's shooting spree with 10:04 left in the half by knocking down a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The Bulldogs then used a 3-point field goal from J. Robert Merritt and a pair of Peterson to take a 21-12 lead.

Despite being pressed the entire game, Samford only committed nine turnovers and forced the Golden Eagles into 18 miscues.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action on Saturday as the Bulldogs square off against the top-seeded Murray State Racers in the championship game of the 2006 OVC Tournament.

The matchup between the two highest seeds in the tournament will begin at 3 p.m., on ESPN2.