Jan. 3, 2004

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford placed five players in double figures and shot a season-high 55 percent from three-point range making 16 of 29 three pointers as the Bulldogs blew out Tennessee Wesleyan 94-46 Saturday afternoon at Seibert Hall.

J. Robert Merritt and Josh Hare each scored 19 points while Eddie Harper scored 13 points, and Jerry Smith and Sebastian Sachse each added 10 points to help the Bulldogs improve to 4-0 at home and 5-6 on the season. Hare's point total matched his career-high set last season. Beau Green scored a career-high five points off the bench in five minutes of action.

Demarius Chearis scored 14 points for TWC as the visiting Bulldogs drop to 4-7 on the year. Balford McLeod and Joe White added 13 and 12 points respectively.

Shooting was the story from the opening tip as Samford shot over 50 percent in both halves to finish at 61 percent from the floor while TWC shot just 31 percent from the floor and 30 percent from three-point range.

The home-standing Bulldogs jumped out to an early 25-7 lead using deadly shooting and precise back cuts that resulted up in lay-ups.

White scored 10 consecutive points for Wesleyan to bring them as close 33-17 with 3:45 left in the half and that is as close as TWC would get.

Samford took a 46-23 lead into halftime and opened the second half with 13-7 run to lead 59-30 with 15:32 to play and that was when head coach Jimmy Tillette took his starters out of the game for good.

Jerry Smith scored 10 points against Tennessee Wesleyan

"I thought we defended very well today," said Tillette. "These games validate our system we had 23 assists on 34 baskets and shows that we played unselfishly. Sometimes in a game like this players will get greedy but we played the way people have come to expect from Samford basketball."

The 48-point margin of victory was the second highest margin for the Bulldogs under Tillette since a 92-35 victory over North Georgia during the 1999 season.

Samford is shooting 63 percent from the floor in its four home games this season and have won those four games by an average of 39.2 points per game.

The Bulldogs will play their first ever Ohio Valley Conference game on Tuesday as Samford entertains Jacksonville State in a 7 p.m. game.