Feb. 29, 2008

CHARLESTON, Ill. - The Samford University basketball team will play its final game of the regular season Saturday at 7:15 p.m., as the Bulldogs square off against the Eastern Illinois Panthers on the road in Lantz Arena (5,300).

Fans unable to attend the game in person can listen live to Samford's broadcast on WVSU 91.1 FM or via the internet at www.samford.edu/groups/wvsu.

Samford (14-14, 10-9 OVC) enters the Ohio Valley Conference matchup riding the positive momentum of a three-game winning streak. The Bulldogs are coming off victories against Eastern Kentucky, Louisiana Tech and Southeast Missouri, and are in the midst of their longest winning streak of the season.

Samford has already clinched a berth in the OVC Tournament and can finish as high as No. 4 in the final league standings.

The Bulldogs also have a chance to host a first-round game Tuesday if they win on Saturday, and both Tennessee State and UT Martin lose to their respective opponents. Eastern Kentucky would have to beat Tennessee State at home and then Murray State would also have to defeat UT Martin at home for Samford to host a first-round game.

Eastern Illinois (6-22, 5-14 OVC) heads into Saturday's game having won two of its previous four games.

On Feb. 14, the Panthers defeated Southeast Missouri on the road 90-70, and then knocked off Jacksonville State on Thursday at home 80-64. In its victory against Jacksonville State, Southeast Missouri's senior forward Jake Byrne scored a game-high 30 points and added 10 rebounds.

Byrne will be one of five Panther seniors to be honored prior to the game with a special "Senior Day" presentation.

The Bulldogs own a 7-2 all-time record against the Panthers and have been victorious in the previous five matchups between the teams. Samford has not been defeated by Eastern Illinois since a 74-65 loss Jan. 27, 2005.

Earlier this season, the Bulldogs rallied for a 65-52 come-from-behind win at home against the Panthers on Feb. 2. In the victory, Samford's Travis Peterson exploded for a career-high 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-10 center was also 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.

Samford's 2007-08 roster consists of players from nine different states. Only true freshman Josh Bedwell (Hartselle) and redshirt freshman Matt Robertson (Birmingham) hail from Alabama, while Curtis West and Trey Montgomery came to Samford from nearby Louisiana.

The rest of Samford's roster is comprised of players from Florida (Gaby Bermudez) to California (Savoy Fraine).

Texas is the most represented state with Josh Davis, Bryan Friday and Matthew Friday all calling the "lonestar state" home. The remaining four states that Bulldog players call home are Illinois (Jim Griffin), Oklahoma (Joe Ross Merritt), Nebraska (Andy King) and Arizona (Peterson).

Samford is ranked first in the OVC in a pair of statistical categories. Also, the Bulldogs are ranked among the top-five teams in the conference in an additional six categories.

Samford is currently the top-ranked team in the OVC in both scoring defense (60.4 ppg) and rebounding defense (29.7 pg). In addition, the Bulldogs are ranked second in field-goal percentage defense (43.6) and 3-point field-goal percentage defense (34.8), as well as fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.1).

Individually, Samford's Trey Montgomery is ranked eighth in the OVC in both steals (1.7 pg) and field-goal percentage (51.5).

Senior Joe Ross Merritt is ranked 10th in the OVC in 3-point field goals per game (2.1) and is 19th in scoring at 11.7 points per contest. Peterson is ranked 13th in scoring at 13.1 points per game and is third in the league in blocked shots (1.3 pg).

The Bulldogs have made at least one 3-point field goal in 499-consecutive games.

The last time that Samford did not make a 3-point basket was on Jan. 19, 1991, against Texas-San Antonio. The Bulldogs have also made at least two 3-pointers in 468-straight contests dating back to Feb. 8, 1992, when Samford finished 1-of-6 from beyond the arc against Mercer.

Following Samford's key regular-season finale against Eastern Illinois on Saturday, the Bulldogs will begin play in the 2008 OVC Tournament on Tuesday. Samford's opponent in the first round of the tournament will not be determined until all of Saturday's OVC games are completed.

Samford Basketball Game Notes
Live Stats - Samford at Eastern Illinois
OVC Standings/Report
OVC Tiebreaker Scenarios