Jan. 13, 2005

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team improved to a perfect 3-0 record in Ohio Valley Conference play on Thursday as the Bulldogs registered a pivotal 55-47 victory over the preseason-favorite Murray State Racers in Seibert Hall.

"This was a big win for us and I'm proud our guys and how they played," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "I thought that we put together back-to-back games in which we played really well. We beat Tennessee State, who was preseason-picked No. 2, and then this was also a big win."

With the win, Samford (8-6, 3-0 OVC) extended its home winning streak to four-consecutive games and moved into a two-way tie for first place in the OVC standings. Tennessee Tech also improved to 3-0 in conference play on Thursday with a 63-40 win over Morehead State.

Murray State (7-6, 2-1 OVC) lost only its first game in its previous three contests and remained winless in its all-time series against the Bulldogs. The Racers have played two games in 12 days in Birmingham and were defeated in both matchups. On Jan. 2, Murray State fell on the road against UAB.

"We took 37 shots, finished with a 51.4 shooting percentage and were able to get key baskets," Tillette said. "We also defended them well and took care of the ball. We only had nine turnovers in the game, so I'm really proud of our guys and I thought it was a great team effort."

Samford finished with three players in double-figure scoring and was led by junior J. Robert Merritt, who turned in 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor. The Bulldogs' sharpshooter from Oklahoma City, Okla., connected on four of his eight 3-point attempts and tacked on a career-high four steals.

Sophomore Jerry Smith commandeered the offense from the point guard position and tied his season-high of 12 points. One of the Bulldogs' most tenacious defenders, Smith recorded three steals and grabbed a team-high six rebounds. He also finished with two assists and shot 4-of-8 from the field.

"This was a big win for us," said Smith. "We try not to look too far in the future and we take each game as it comes. We have Tennessee-Martin coming in and we're excited about how we played today. It was a huge win for us, but we know that it is a long season and we have to get ready for the next game."

Bryan Boerjan, the Bulldogs' anchor in the middle, proved to be a menace on the defensive side of the ball and finished with three steals. The 6-7 native of Rock Falls, Ill., finished with 11 points and connected on four crucial free throws down the stretch. He compiled a perfect 4-of-4 shooting average from the charity stripe.

Samford's defense turned in a stifling second-half performance on Tuesday and limited the Racers to only 20 points in the final 20 minutes of play.

With 3:52 remaining in the game, the Bulldogs' defense, ranked No. 23 in the nation heading into the contest, had only allowed 10 second-half points and helped Samford build a demanding 52-37 lead. Murray State was averaging 71.8 points per game this season and was held to its lowest scoring output of the year.

"I thought that our grittiness on the defensive end was key," said Tillette. "They only took 38 shots in the game and they are a very disciplined team, but they want to play at a faster pace. We were forcing them to go deeper into the clock and they ended up taking a few bad shots."

The Racers jumped out to an early lead and coasted to a slight 27-24 lead into halftime behind a 10-point performance from junior guard Darnell Hopkins.

Murray State's 6-2 native of Baltimore, Md., shot 4-of-6 from the floor and was a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. He finished Tuesday's critical OVC matchup with a team-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting.

Despite falling behind 16-5 early in the first half, the Bulldogs continued to frustrate Murray State's full-court press and connected on a trio of late 3-point baskets to cut the Racers' lead to one point with 5:05 remaining.

Samford's vital 19-11 run to end the first half of play was spurred on by its relentless defense and a pair of deep 3-point shot from Merritt.

"This win was a huge confidence-boost for our team, especially because we are so young," said Merritt. "Our young guys did a good job of coming out and playing well. Last year, we also beat them and it was a big win, but we kind of had a let-down after that, so we just need to use this as a stepping stone to keep getting better and improving."

Merritt led all scorers at the half with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field. He is Samford's leading scorer on the season and is averaging 15.6 points per game.

Freshman guard Curtis West played 20 key minutes for the Bulldogs and only committed one turnover against Murray State's ferocious full-court trap. He scored four points and grabbed two rebounds, while playing an instrumental role in handling the ball and beating the press.

"The real challenge for our team right now is to come back and play the best game that we can possibly play against Tennessee-Martin on Saturday," said Tillette.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action on Saturday as the Bulldogs close out its three-game OVC homestand against the Tennesseee-Martin Skyhawks at 2 p.m., in Seibert Hall.