Feb. 23, 2002

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Seniors Chris Weaver and Corey Green accounted for 27 points and 11 rebounds as Samford defeated Mercer 69-49 in Atlantic Sun Conference basketball on Senior Day at Seibert Hall.

Weaver finished the game with 14 points, three rebounds and three assists and became the 16th player in Samford basketball history to reach 1,000 points in a career. Green contributed 13 points along with a team-high eight rebounds and three assists. In the first half, Samford (15-13, 12-8 A-Sun) shot 50 percent from three-point range while holding Mercer to 14 percent and led the Bears (6-23, 4-16) 32-21 at halftime. Both teams fired 48 percent from the field in the second half but the Bulldogs outscored Mercer 37-38 in the final period.

Aleem Muhammad scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Justin Howard also contributed 16 points for Mercer. Two other Bulldogs scored in double figures, Cornell Felton with 12 points and six assists and Jon Mills with 10 points.

With the win, Samford Head Coach Jimmy Tillette tied John Brady atop the Samford career coaching victory list with 89. Tillette has recorded his wins in five seasons while Brady's came in six campaigns.

Mercer never led in the game but Samford started slowly, shooting 37 percent from the field and managing only a 15-12 advantage midway through the first half. A Howard free throw cut the Bulldog lead to 16-15 with 7:13 remaining in the period, but Samford closed out the half with a 16-5 run and led 32-21 at the break. Weaver scored eight of his 14 in the first half and Cornell Felton added seven.

The Bulldogs used an 18-6 second-half run to take their largest lead of the game, 50-29, with 11 minutes remaining. Mercer held Samford scoreless and forced four Bulldog turnovers in the next five minutes, using an 11-2 run of its own to bring the score to 52-40 with 5:19 to go. Mercer could get no closer, however, as Green scored five of Samford's last eight points and the Bulldogs outscored the Bears 17-9 in the last five minutes for the win.

With Jacksonville's win over UCF on Saturday afternoon, Samford assured itself of either a No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the Atlantic Sun Men's Basketball Championship next week in Orlando, Fla. The Bulldogs will play either Jacksonville or UCF in the first round on Thurs., Feb. 28, with the time to be determined later.