Feb. 24, 2006

CHARLESTON, Ill. - In its final game of the 2005-06 regular season, the Samford University basketball team will conclude its current three-game road trip on Saturday against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at 3:05 p.m., in Lantz, Arena (5,300).

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.

Win or lose, Samford (17-10, 13-6 Ohio Valley Conference) will host a first-round game in the 2006 OVC Tournament on Tuesday, while Eastern Illinois (6-20, 5-14 OVC) will conclude its 2005-06 season.

The Bulldogs' first-round game is already slated to begin at 7:30 p.m., on Tuesday in Seibert Hall, but their opponent will not be decided until late on Saturday evening. The Bulldogs could play Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky or Tennessee State.

Samford will use Saturday's contest as an opportunity to gain some momentum heading into postseason play.

The Bulldogs have lost two-straight games and have dropped four of their previous five contests. Since defeating Eastern Illinois, 58-55, on Feb. 4, in the teams' first meeting this season, Samford fell on the road to Austin Peay on Feb. 11, and then at home against Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 14.

On Feb. 16, the Bulldogs picked up a 76-52 victory over Morehead State live on ESPNU, but have since dropped consecutive road games at Ohio and Southeast Missouri. Saturday's game will be Samford third-straight contest away from home.

Eastern Illinois (6-20, 5-14 OVC) enters today's game looking to close out its 2005-06 campaign with a victory.

The Panthers are in the midst of a two-game losing streak and have dropped six out of its previous seven contests. Since defeating Southeast Missouri, 60-49, on Feb. 15, Eastern Illinois has been tripped up by Eastern Michigan, 65-50, on Feb. 18, and most recently, Jacksonville State, 75-68, on Thursday.

The Panthers' leading scorer this season is senior guard Josh Gomes, who will be playing in the final game of his collegiate career on Saturday. He is averaging 15 points per game this season.

Samford's Jerry Smith is only five assists shy of reaching the 300 mark in his career.

So far this season, the Bulldogs' 6-foot-2 native of Picayune, Miss., has accumulated a career-high 102 assists and is ranked fifth in the OVC in assist/turnover ratio (1.7). A junior, Smith is currently on pace to lead the Bulldogs in assists for a third-straight season.

Samford's senior forward J. Robert Merritt will be making his 57th-consecutive start on Saturday, while Smith will be making his 51st-straight appearance in the starting five.

Merritt, the Bulldogs' native of Oklahoma City, Okla., has been included in the starting lineup in 100 of the team's previous 101 games. The last time that he did not start was on Feb. 26, 2004, against Tennessee State on "Senior Night".

Merritt has been a mainstay in Samford's starting lineup since his freshman season in 2002. He started in 26 of the Bulldogs' 28 games that year, including the final 18 contests. Merritt has started in 108 of the 111 games of his career.

Smith made his first career start on Dec. 30, 2003, against eventual NCAA Final Four participant Oklahoma State.

He led the team with six rebounds in the game and also scored six points. Since then, Smith has been a staple in the starting lineup and has only missed two starts in 71 games. On Nov. 27 and Nov. 30 of last season, he was forced to come off the bench due to an injured ankle. Smith has started in 50-consecutive games dating back to Dec. 3, 2004.

Samford currently holds a 3-2 advantage in its all-time series against Eastern Illinois.

The rivalry began during the 1973-74 campaign with the Panthers taking the first contest, 87-72. Since then, the Bulldogs have won three of the previous four games in the series, including a come-from-behind victory in Seibert Hall earlier this season, 58-55.

The Samford University basketball team will attempt to complete its season sweep over the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Saturday as the teams square off in a regular-season finale at 3:05 p.m., in the Lantz Arena.

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.