Feb. 10, 2006

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - After a much-needed seven-day hiatus from competition, the Samford University basketball team will resume play in its 2005-06 Ohio Valley Conference schedule on Saturday, as the Bulldogs square off against the Austin Peay Governors at 7:30 p.m.

The game will be held at the 9,000-seat Dave Aaron Arena and can be heard live on WVSU 91.1-FM or via the Internet at either www.samfordsports.com or www.al.com/WVSU.

Samford (16-6, 12-3 OVC) enters Saturday's pivotal conference matchup riding the positive momentum of a two-game winning streak. The Bulldogs have won 13 of their previous 15 games and currently hold an OVC-best 6-1 record on the road this season.

The Bulldogs' most recent game was played on Feb. 4, a 58-55 triumph over Eastern Illinois. The victory ended a stretch in which Samford played five games in 10 days. Since then, the Bulldogs have had seven days off from competition.

Samford currently holds sole possession of second place in the league's standings and only trails preseason-favorite Murray State by a game and a half for first place. The Bulldogs have five OVC games remaining this season, three of which will be held on the road.

Samford has three players averaging double figures in scoring this season.

Senior forward J. Robert Merritt leads the team with 17.5 points per game, while junior Randall Gulina follows with 13.5 points per contest and 6-foot-10 center Travis Peterson is averaging 10.5 points. Peterson scored a game-high 22 points against the Governors earlier this season.

Austin Peay (14-11, 9-7 OVC) heads into Saturday's game looking to continue its current two-game winning streak.

On Feb. 4, the Governors posted a 70-63 victory over Tennessee State and then rallied for a 70-61 win against Eastern Illinois on Thursday. Since losing to Samford on Jan. 28, Austin Peay has been victorious in three of its previous four games and has moved into a two-way tie for fourth place in the conference standings.

The Governors' senior forward Maurice Hampton leads the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game, while senior center Zac Schlader is averaging 14.9 points per contest.

Austin Peay owns a 9-2 record at home this season and has only been defeated by Samford once in Dave Aaron Arena. The Governors are 5-1 against the Bulldogs in Clarksville, Tenn., but on Dec. 5, 1995, Samford picked up a thrilling 67-63 victory in the series.

Austin Peay has been one of Samford's most frequent OVC opponents as of late.

The OVC rivals have already squared off four times in the last two seasons and have played to an even 2-2 record. Austin Peay owns a 9-5 record in the series, but Samford won this season's earlier matchup, 84-68.

Samford is currently ranked among the top-10 teams in the nation in several statistical categories.

The Bulldogs are sixth in the country in the following four listings: 3-point field-goal percentage (41.3), fewest turnovers per game (11.1), 3-point field goals per game (9.5) and fewest personal fouls per game (14.7). Samford is also ranked 12th in the nation in both field-goal percentage (49.1) and scoring defense (58.5 ppg).

Individually, the Bulldogs' J. Robert Merritt is currently the top-ranked player in the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage (50.0) and is fifth in the country in 3-point field goals per game (3.7).

The Samford University basketball team will attempt to extend its winning streak to three-consecutive games on Saturday as the Bulldogs face off against the Austin Peay Governors at 7:30 p.m., in Clarksville, Tenn.

The game can be heard live on WVSU 91.1-FM or via the Internet at either www.samfordsports.com or www.al.com/WVSU.