Nov. 17, 2001

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Chris Weaver scored 16 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to lead four Bulldogs in double figures as Samford knocked off Louisiana-Monroe 62-53 in NCAA Division I basketball at Seibert Hall on Saturday.

Weaver shot 6-of-14 to lead Samford (2-1) in scoring, and was joined by Corey Green with 14 points, Cornell Felton with 10 and Phillip Ramelli with 11 points. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first seven minutes of the game and Corey Green made a layup to spark a 14-4 run midway through the first half. The run led to the Bulldogs' largest lead of the game, 28-10, and Samford led 36-19 at halftime.

Louisiana-Monroe (0-1) made a second-half surge on the Bulldogs, cutting the lead to four with a layup by Michael Hardaway with 5:31 remaining in the game. Key three-pointers by Green, Weaver, and Felton over the next four minutes helped push the lead back to nine and the final score, 62-53.

The Indians entered the game with a veteran team, returning five starters from last year's team that defeated the Bulldogs, 69-63. Despitethe Indians boasting 7-2 post player Wojciech Myrda, Samford outrebounded ULM 38-27 and held the Indians to 38 percent shooting for the game. Samford shot 47 percent from the field and knocked down 10 of 29 three-pointers, including six in the second half.

After not contributing much in the loss to Alabama, Samford's seniors Weaver and Green responded on Saturday, scoring 30 of the 62 points and grabbing 13 of the 38 rebounds. Weaver, Felton and Ramelli each contributed four assists to lead the team. Ramelli also knocked down two three-pointers and shot .667 from the field.

The Bulldogs continued to improve at the free throw shooting in the first half, firing 80 percent from the stripe. In the second, however, Samford struggled to shoot 33 percent, finishing the game shooting 54 percent from the charity stripe.

Samford returns to action on Nov. 26, facing Georgia in Athens at 6:30 p.m. (CST).