March 1, 2007

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - For the second-consecutive season, Samford sits only two wins shy of reaching the NCAA Tournament, but the Bulldogs' quest for the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title doesn't get any easier Friday as they square off against the top-seeded Austin Peay Governors at 5:30 p.m.

The semifinal OVC Tournament game will be held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in downtown Nashville, Tenn., and will be broadcast live to a national television audience on ESPNU. The commentators will be Lou Canellis (Play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (Color).

Fans can also listen live to Friday's contest on the radio at 91.1 FM or via the internet at www.al.com/wvsu, as Samford's "Voice of the Bulldogs" Justin Firesheets calls the action.

Samford (16-15) heads into the game looking to extend its current winning streak to three-straight games.

After suffering through a five-game losing trend late in the season, the Bulldogs have rattled off a pair of consecutive wins, including a key 70-60 first-round victory on the road against defending OVC Tournament champion Murray State.

With the win, Samford improved its all-time OVC Tournament record to 3-3 and advanced to the semifinals of the eight-team competition for a second-straight season.

Last year, the Bulldogs defeated both Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech to advance to the OVC Tournament championship game. Samford streaked past Tennessee State in the opening round of the tournament with a 78-67 home victory and then shot its way past Tennessee Tech in the semifinals, 73-66.

The Bulldogs played against regular-season champion Murray State in the 2006 OVC Tournament title game and suffered a hard-fought 74-57 defeat. Samford led at the half, 33-32, but fell prey to a late Murray State rally in the loss.

Austin Peay (20-10) heads into Friday's OVC Tournament game as the conference's regular-season champion.

The Governors finished OVC play with a 16-4 record and earned the No. 1-seed in the eight-team postseason event. Austin Peay is currently leading the OVC in the following statistical categories: scoring margin (+3.8), 3-point field-goal percentage (36.1) and turnover margin (+2.4).

Austin Peay has been defeated in three of its previous five games and needed overtime to beat No. 8-seed Tennessee State at home Tuesday in the opening round of the OVC Tournament, 89-84.

The Governors' sophomore forward Kyle Duncan, who started 22 games this season, has missed Austin Peay's last three contests after tweaking his knee against Tennessee Tech on Feb. 20. Duncan is averaging 4.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this season.

Samford currently owns a 5-12 all-time record versus Austin Peay, the Bulldogs' worst mark against any OVC team.

Since Samford joined the conference in 2003, it has compiled a 2-7 record versus the Governors. The Bulldogs have been defeated twice by Austin Peay this season, losing 66-48 on the road (Jan. 27) and 52-50 at home (Feb. 10).

Samford and Austin Peay have only squared off once in OVC Tournament play prior to Friday's matchup. In 2005, the fourth-seeded Bulldogs hosted the fifth-seeded Governors in the first round of the OVC Tournament and dropped a 71-60 decision in Seibert Hall.

The Bulldogs head into the game as the top-ranked team in the OVC in four statistical categories.

Samford leads the conference in scoring defense (60.3 ppg), free-throw percentage (73.2), rebounding defense (29.8 rpg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.2). The Bulldogs are also ranked among the top-five teams in the OVC in an additional five categories.

Samford is third in the league in 3-point field goals made (7.9 pg) and is ranked fourth in field-goal percentage (44.7). The Bulldogs are also ranked fifth in the conference in scoring margin (-0.8), 3-point field-goal percentage (33.5) and turnover margin (-0.5).

Samford has three players ranked among the top-10 in the conference in several statistical categories.

Senior Randall Gulina is tied for the OVC's lead in scoring (18.0 ppg), and is ranked fifth in both free-throw percentage (79.7) and 3-point field goals made (2.5 pg). He is also ranked 10th in both 3-point field-goal percentage (37.1) and minutes played (33.2 pg).

Jerry Smith leads the OVC in minutes played (36.9 pg) and is ranked fifth in defensive rebounds (4.0 pg). He is also listed seventh in the OVC in assist/turnover ratio (1.6), and is ranked eighth in both assists (3.8 pg) and free-throw percentage (77.6).

Samford's 6-foot-10 center Travis Peterson is currently ranked second in the conference in blocked shots (1.1 pg).

With a win against the top-seeded Austin Peay Governors on Friday, Samford would advance to Saturday's OVC championship game against either the second-seeded Eastern Kentucky Colonels or the third-seeded Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles.

The contest is slated for a 7:05 p.m., tip-off at the Gaylord Entertainment Center and will be televised by ESPN2.