Jan. 11, 2007

Box Score

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Samford University basketball team dropped its first Ohio Valley Conference game of the 2006-07 campaign Thursday as the Bulldogs suffered a 59-41 defeat on the road against the Tennessee State Tigers at the Gentry Center.

Samford (9-7, 6-1 OVC) had its three-game winning streak snapped and fell to 3-6 on the road this season. The Bulldogs will continue its current two-game road swing Sunday against Tennessee Tech.

With the win, Tennessee State (6-9, 3-3 OVC) ended its four-game losing streak and defeated the Bulldogs for the first time since Feb. 24, 2005. The Tigers shot 40 percent from the field, while Samford finished with a 34.2 shooting percentage from the floor.

The Bulldogs were held to their lowest scoring output of the season Thursday. Samford's 41 points scored was its lowest point total since falling at 17th-ranked LSU, 60-45, on Dec. 29.

Samford's 34.2 shooting percentage was its second-worst of the season. On Dec. 2, the Bulldogs only shot 32.7 percent from the floor in a 59-54 loss at South Alabama.

Tennessee State's Ladarious Weaver led all scorers with 23 points. The Tigers' junior from Atlanta, Ga., shot a stifling 8-of-11 from the field and was 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Center Clarence Matthews added 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the win.

Samford finished without a player scoring in double figures for the first time this season. Juniors Curtis West and Joe Ross Merritt paced the team with nine points apiece, while Jerry Smith added eight and Travis Peterson tallied seven points.

The Bulldogs' Randall Gulina failed to score in double figures for the first time this season. The leading scorer in the OVC at 18.7 points per game, Gulina finished with six points on 1-of-4 shooting from the field.

Merritt and West both finished with career-highs in rebounds. Merritt grabbed a team-high seven in the game, while West tallied six.

Tennessee State caught fire in the second half and outscored the Bulldogs, 40-22, in the final period. Weaver scored 17 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and only missed one shot in the final 20 minutes of play. The Butler Community College transfer was 6-of-7 from the floor in the second period.

Samford only shot 31.6 percent in the final 20 minutes of game action. The Tigers were 12-of-25 from the field for a 52-percent second-half performance.

Heading into halftime, the score of the game was deadlocked at 19-19.

Neither team shot the ball well in the first half of play. Samford posted a 36.8 shooting percentage in the opening period, while the Tigers only connected on 28 percent of their shots from the field.

The Bulldogs shot 40 percent from beyond the arc and received first-half 3-point baskets from West and Gulina. Merritt paced Samford with six points in the opening period, while West tallied five and Gulina added four.

Tennessee State's Weaver finished with six points on 2-of-3 shooting from 3-point range in the first half. He was joined in scoring by Ervin Reiley and Matthews, who each registered four points apiece in the opening period.

Samford led 14-13 with three minutes until halftime when the Tigers knocked down a pair of 3-point field goals to eventually lead 19-17. The Bulldogs' Merritt hit a running one-handed shot to even the score at 19-19.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Saturday as the Bulldogs conclude their brief two-game OVC road swing against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles. The key conference matchup is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., at the Eblen Center in Cookeville, Tenn.