Nov. 16, 2005

Box Score

AUSTIN, Texas - In a meeting against its highest-ranked opponent in school history, the Samford University basketball team dropped a 77-33 contest on the road against No. 2 Texas on Wednesday. The game took place at the Frank Erwin Center and was the regional final of the 2005 Guardians Classic.

"I thought that early on in the first half, we really sped ourselves up," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "We were our own worst enemy in terms of trying to run the offense and trying to shoot the ball too quickly."

Samford (1-1) was limited to 26.0-percent shooting on Wednesday and 21.7 percent in the first half of play.

The Bulldogs were led in scoring by sophomore center Travis Peterson. At 6-10, Peterson shot 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and finished with 12 points. Joe Ross Merritt tallied eight points, while older brother J. Robert Merritt scored seven and pulled down four rebounds.

"I thought that in the second half, we ran our offense much better," Tillette said. "I can only speculate on why we missed so many 3-point shots over the last couple of days, but I think that the line being moved back really affected us."

Both of Samford's contests in the 2005 Guardians of the Game Classic were played with an experimental 20-foot, nine-inch 3-point line.

The Bulldogs' lineup on Wednesday included three starters from last season's team that finished second in the nation in 3-point shooting at 41.9 percent. Samford shot 26.9 percent from the deeper line against the Longhorns.

Texas (2-0) out-rebounded the Bulldogs, 52-15.

The Most Valuable Player of the regional, LaMarcus Aldridge, led the Longhorns with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He also recorded three blocks and shot 5-of-8 from the floor.

"I think that it was pretty obvious to see why they won the game," said Tillette. "Texas had a slight height advantage against us, but in the first half we really battled them. We worked hard to keep the ball out of the post, but then our defensive energy just slid right down the hill and we were unable to score."

Samford's 33 points in Wednesday's game was the team's lowest scoring output since a 40-27 loss on the road against UAB on Feb. 23, 1982.

The Longhorns took a 30-13 lead into halftime as Texas outshot the Bulldogs, 42.3 percent to 21.7 percent from the field.

P.J. Tucker led the Longhorns with 10 first-half points, while senior J. Robert Merritt paced Samford with five. Peterson and Joe Ross Merritt each scored three, and Jerry Smith tallied two first-half points.

The Samford University basketball team will continue play in its tough non-conference schedule on Saturday as the Bulldogs square off against the sixth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners at 4 p.m.

The contest will be held at the Lloyd Noble Center (12,000) in Norman, Okla., and can be heard locally on WVSU-FM 91.1, or worldwide via the internet at either www.samfordsports.com or www.al.com/wvsu.