Nov. 28, 2005

Box Score

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Samford University basketball team outscored Southern Miss, 37-17, in the second half of play to secure a stifling 52-33 win on the road against the Golden Eagles at the Reed Green Coliseum.

"I was very proud of our team and how they came out and played great defense in the second half," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "I think that Jerry (Smith) and J. Robert (Merritt) did really well on the offensive end of the court in the second half and Travis (Peterson) played great defense the entire game."

In the victory, Samford (3-2) was led in scoring by senior J. Robert Merritt and junior Jerry Smith. Merritt tallied a game-high 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the floor, while Smith scored 12 points, all of which came in the second half.

By scoring 15 on Monday, Merritt moved into 15th place on Samford's all-time scoring list. He moved past former Bulldog-great Rembert Martin and has now accumulated 1,108 career points.

Travis Peterson added 11 points and Curtis West finished with eight. Peterson was 4-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. West turned in a 3-for-4 performance from the floor and snagged a career-high five steals.

The Bulldogs limited Southern Miss (1-3) to 33 points and 14 field goals. David Cornwell was the only Golden Eagle player to reach double figures. He finished with 10 points.

Samford started the second half with a 17-5 run to take a commanding 32-21 lead.

During the first 6:19 of the final period, Randall Gulina started the Bulldogs' scoring with a layup. Peterson then slammed home a dunk and Smith knocked down a turnaround jumper.

The Bulldogs' matchup-zone defense stymied Southern Miss and forced the Golden Eagles into 19 turnovers.

"We picked it up in the second half and played better as a team," said Smith. "We won the game tonight on the defensive end and I think that we kind of frustrated them a little bit. They only scored 33 points and we forced them to try and make difficult shots. We really played with a lot of heart out there."

Smith, a native of Picayune, Miss., made his homecoming on Monday and his jumpshot improved Samford's lead to 21-18. Then, Gulina connected on another jumper and both Peterson and Smith followed with 3-point baskets.

The Bulldogs shot 45.2 percent from the field and registered a 40.9 performance from beyond the arc. In the second half of play, Samford was 13-of-23 from the floor and 6-of-11 from 3-point range.

At the half, Southern Miss held a slight 16-15 advantage in the game as both teams played physical half-court defense.

Samford sophomores Peterson and West each scored six points in the opening half. Peterson, Samford's 6-10 center from Glendale, Ariz., was a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, while West rallied the Bulldogs with three quick baskets.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action on Saturday at 7:05 p.m., as the Bulldogs square off against the South Alabama Jaguars at the Mitchell Center (10,000) located in Mobile, Ala.