Nov. 27, 2004

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team used a balanced scoring attack and a 59.5 shooting percentage to defeat the Louisiana-Monroe Indians, 76-62, on Saturday in the Bulldogs' 2004-05 home opener at Seibert Hall.

"I thought that for 30 minutes today we were a very good basketball team," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "We lacked a little poise there down the stretch, but we were able to jump out to an early lead and it was a big win for us."

Samford (3-1) used double-digit scoring performances from five players on Saturday including a game-high 18 points from junior J. Robert Merritt.

A 6-6 forward from Oklahoma City, Okla., Merritt shot 5-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 from three-point range. He also finished with an unblemished 4-of-4 mark from the charity stripe, improving his near-perfect total on the season to 22-of-23.

Louisiana-Monroe (2-1) dropped its first contest of the 2004-05 campaign and lost for the sixth time in its all-time series against the Bulldogs. The Indians opened the season last week with lopsided victories over both Baylor, 75-61, and Texas College, 96-66.

Samford's Jon Mills tallied 13 points and a team-high five rebounds on Saturday, and was joined in double digits by Josh Hare, Joe Ross Merritt and Jerry Smith. Hare, the Bulldogs' physical 6-5 senior from Cleveland, Tenn., finished with 12 points, while Joe Ross Merritt and Smith each tacked on 11.

Hare was a clutch performer from the free-throw line against Louisiana-Monroe and connected on all eight of his attempts. In four games this season, Hare is a perfect 11-of-11 from the free-throw line. The Bulldogs are shooting a solid 74.6 percent from the charity stripe.

Midway through the first half, the score was knotted at 19-19 before the Bulldogs took control and streaked to a 15-2 run. Samford used key three-point baskets from Smith and J. Robert Merritt during that stretch and eventually built a sizeable 43-27 halftime lead.

"Everything seemed to open up for us," said Samford junior forward J. Robert Merritt. "We were able to finish some good looks on offense and we were all taking good shots. On the defensive end, we really stepped it up and we didn't let them have any easy shots. We also did a better job of rebounding today."

The Bulldogs shot 59.5 percent from the field on Saturday including a sizzling 64.7 percent from beyond the arc.

J. Robert Merritt led the way with four three-pointers, while Mills added three and Smith finished 2-of-2 from three-point range. Smith, Samford's sophomore point guard from Picayune, Miss., also collected a career-high nine assists and tacked on three rebounds.

"Offensively, we looked like a really good team there for 30 minutes," Tillette said. "We shot a little under 60 percent for the game, so that's a very good thing us. Right now, we just need to build from this win and start getting ready for a good IUPUI team on Tuesday."

Samford was also able to get some quality scoring from its bench on Saturday as exactly half of its offensive production came from its non-starters. A season-high 38 points were scored from the Bulldogs' bench including Hare's 12, Joe Ross Merritt's 11 and Smith's 11.

Louisiana-Monroe was led by Gary Robinson, Cecil Hood and Daryl Mason. Robinson finished with a team-high 15 points and nine rebounds, while Hood added 14 points and Mason dropped 10. The Indians shot 50 percent from the floor on Saturday, but were forced into 19 turnovers.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action on Tuesday as the Bulldogs remain at home in Seibert Hall to play the IUPUI Jaguars at 7:00 p.m.

All of Samford's home contests are general admission seating, $8 for adults and $4 for children 3-12 (children under the age of three are admitted free). Special pricing is available for groups of 10 or more.

For more information, please feel free to call the Samford athletics ticket office at (205) 726-2966.