Nov. 25, 2000

Belmont forward Adam Sonn posted a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds and Wes Burtner added 17 points as Belmont defeated Samford 69-58 in the Bulldogs' home opener Saturday at Seibert Hall.

In a low scoring first half, the game was tied at 3-2 until the 13:55 mark, and the largest lead by either team was Samford's (0-2) first three points of the game, 3-0. Belmont (3-1) led at the half 25-24, despite shooting only 13 percent from the 3-point arc and 31 percent from the field. Samford also shot poorly from the arc, converting on only 2-of-15 from three-point range and 29 percent from the field. Sonn posted 10 of his 14 rebounds in the first half, and the Bruins outrebounded the Bulldogs for the game 45-23.

Belmont got things going in the second half, however, shooting five-of seven from 3-point range and 14-of-22 from the field. Samford, however, continued to shoot poorly from the perimeter, hitting only 5-of-17 three point attempts in the second half to finish the game shooting 21 percent from the arc. The Bruins led the Bulldogs by as many as 11 late in the game before Steve Drabyn's free throws with less than one second remaining made the final difference 11.

Chris Weaver led the Bulldogs with 20 points and Derrick Jones and Gabe Skypala each contributed 11. No Bulldog recorded more than three rebounds. B.J. Proffitt converted on six of eight free throws in the second half to contribute 11 for the Bruins. The game was the 400th career victory for Belmont head coach Rick Byrd.

Samford returns to action Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. (CDT) against Xavier in Cincinnati, Ohio. The game will be broadcast on WJOX-AM 690 and can also be accessed by logging onto the Samford athletic Web site, www.samfordsports.com.