Jan. 26, 2008

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Just two days after Samford turned in one of its worst shooting performances of the season, the Bulldogs registered their best outing in the Pete Hanna Center Saturday by knocking down 52.3 percent of their shots in a 63-49 victory against the first-place Austin Peay Governors.

Samford (9-11, 6-6 Ohio Valley Conference) shot a sizzling 38.5 percent from beyond the arc and finished with three players scoring in double figures. Senior Joe Ross Merritt led all scorers with 19 points, while sophomore Trey Montgomery followed with 17 and freshman Josh Bedwell added 16.

"I thought that the difference in the game was our defensive intensity," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "We played well against their shooters and we knew where they were at all times. We held them to 49 points and that's very hard to do. They have a lot of weapons and they are a very well-coached team."

With the defeat, Austin Peay (13-8, 9-2 OVC) had its three-game winning streak snapped and lost only its sixth conference decision in two seasons. Last year, the Governors earned the OVC's regular-season championship with a 16-4 record.

Samford's victory was its first against Austin Peay in nearly two years. The Bulldogs' had been defeated in the previous four games between the teams and their last win in the rivalry occurred Jan. 28, 2006.

"Austin Peay is the best team in the conference and this was a great bounce-back game for us," Tillette said. "We know that we have talent on this team to play this way, but we just need to be more consistent. We were very frustrated after the other night and this was a complete flip for us. We shot the ball better and that was the key."

In Samford's 61-43 loss to UT Martin on Thursday, the Bulldogs only shot 36.2 percent from the floor and 23.1 percent from 3-point range.

On Saturday, Samford turned in its best shooting performance in the Pete Hanna Center with a 52.3 percent outing from the field and a 38.5 percent tally from beyond the arc. Bedwell paced the Bulldogs with a 5-for-8 performance from downtown and Merritt knocked down 3-of-9 of his 3-point attempts.

"Josh Bedwell did a great job of stepping in as a true freshman and knocking down some shots," said Tillette. "We were unselfish as a team and finished with 20 assists on 23 baskets. We did a great job of sharing the basketball and we are at our best when we do those things."

Montgomery played one of his best games all season and finished with only one turnover against Austin Peay's stifling full-court press. He also registered five rebounds, four assists and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

Senior Travis Peterson turned in a solid all-around game and finished with nine points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a pair of steals. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-10 center was also 4-of-9 from the field and knocked down a key 3-pointer late in the game.

Samford opened the game with a post-up layup from Montgomery and quickly built up a nine-point lead, 12-3. During the stretch, Bedwell and Montgomery both knocked down 3s and Merritt scored on a pair of back-door layups.

The Bulldogs' defense handcuffed the Governors early in the game and Austin Peay didn't make its first field goal until Derek Wright hit a 3-pointer with 13:11 to play in the half. As a team, Austin Peay only shot 33.3 percent from the field.

"Our guys really battled, especially on the defensive end," said Tillette. "Austin Peay is a difficult team to guard because they have weapons at every position. We challenged their shooters and didn't allow Todd Babington to make any 3s. We played physical defense and this was the first time that we were ever more physical than Austin Peay."

Following a 3-point basket from Merritt and a layup from Peterson, Samford extended its lead to 24-15 with 7:21 remaining until the half. Merritt led all scorers with 14 at the intermission.

The Bulldogs went on to take a 39-18 lead at one point in the first half and ended up with a 39-20 advantage at halftime.

"At halftime, I just told our guys to forget about the score," said Tillette. "We were glad that we had the big lead, but we didn't want them to play too cautiously. We didn't want to lose our aggressive attitude and I think that helped us to maintain our cool in the second half."

Samford continued its solid play in the final 20 minutes of action and never led by less than 11 points in the half. Austin Peay only held one lead the entire game and that was at 3-2 during the second minute of play.

The best play of the game occurred early in the second half when Samford's Peterson gathered the ball at the top of the key, faked a shot and drove hard to his right down the lane. Once in the paint, he picked up steam and headed straight for the rim.

Instead of possibly laying the ball in over a pair of Austin Peay defenders, Peterson skied high over the head of the Governors' Drake Reed and sent down an emphatic one-handed dunk.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Tuesday at 7 p.m., as the Bulldogs square off against the second-place Murray State Racers on the road at the Regional Special Events Center in Murray, Ky.