Jan. 21, 2005

RICHMOND, Ky. - The first-place Samford University basketball team will attempt to extend its winning streak to six-consecutive games on Saturday as the Bulldogs square off against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at 6:30 p.m. (CST), in an Ohio Valley Conference matchup held at McBrayer Arena.

Samford (10-5, 5-0 OVC) heads into the contest tied for first place in the conference standings along with Tennessee Tech. Both teams hold a perfect 5-0 record in league play and the Bulldogs are off to their best conference start since the 1998-99 campaign.

In 1999, Samford opened league play with an impressive 13-0 record and raced its way to the conference title with a dominant 15-1 mark. The Bulldogs finished the season with a 24-6 overall record and registered its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

On Thursday, the Samford basketball team used a 30-14 run late in the second half to earn its fifth-consecutive victory, as the Bulldogs came from behind to knock off Morehead State, 56-51, on the road in Johnson Arena. With the triumph, Samford earned its second-straight come-from-behind win.

Samford's sophomore point guard Jerry Smith recorded a career-high 15-point performance against Morehead State.

The Bulldogs' native of Picayune, Miss., finished the critical OVC matchup shooting 5-of-6 from beyond the 3-point line. He scored 12 of his team-high 15 points on four 3-point baskets late in the second half.

Eastern Kentucky (11-5, 3-2 OVC) heads into Saturday's pivotal OVC contest as the fifth-place team in the conference.

The Colonels opened conference play with four-consecutive road games and earned hard-fought victories against both Tennessee-Martin and Austin Peay. Eastern Kentucky is the top rebounding team in the conference and is averaging a stellar 39.1 rebounds per game. Junior guard Matt Witt paces the team with an average of 14.1 points per game.

Eastern Kentucky holds a slight 4-3 advantage in the all-time series between the teams.

Samford won three of the first four meetings in the series, but then the Colonels streaked to three victories over the Bulldogs last season. In the opening game, Eastern Kentucky earned a 95-86 overtime victory against on the road in Birmingham, Ala., and then posted a pair of 20-point wins in Richmond, Ky.

The Colonels' second victory at home against Samford last season took place in the opening round of the 2004 OVC Tournament. On March 2, Eastern Kentucky rallied to an 81-61 win at McBrayer Arena.

The Bulldogs currently lead the OVC in five statistical categories and are ranked among the top-three teams in an additional three categories.

Samford is currently first in the following rankings: Scoring defense (57.9 ppg), 3-point field goal percentage (.420), 3-point field goals made (8.75 avg/g), field-goal percentage (.498) and rebounding defense (28.8 avg/g). The Bulldogs are also ranked second in both free-throw percentage (.744) and assist-turnover ratio (1.00), while they are ranked third in turnover margin (+1.25).

Individual members of the Bulldog basketball team are also listed among the top-10 players in the conference.

J. Robert Merritt currently leads the league in both 3-point field goal percentage (.458) and 3-point field goals made (2.75), while sophomore point guard Jerry Smith ranks fourth in assists (61) and holds seventh place in assist/turnover ratio (1.36). Merritt is also listed among the top-10 players in the conference in scoring with an average of 15.3 points per game during the 2004-05 campaign.

The Samford University basketball team will attempt to snap its three-game losing streak against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels on Saturday as the Bulldogs play its second of four-consecutive road games at 6:30 p.m. (CST), in Richmond, Ky.