Nov. 25, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team will play its second game in three days Monday as the Bulldogs begin a brief two-game road trip against the Lipscomb Bisons at 7 p.m., in Allen Arena (5,028).

The game will be broadcast by play-by-play specialist Kevin Henslee on WVSU 91.1 FM and via the internet at www.al.com/wvsu. A live GameTracker will also be provided at www.SamfordSports.com.

Samford (2-2) will wrap up its road swing Dec. 2, against Florida State at 1 p.m., in Tallahassee, Fla.

The Bulldogs head into Monday's non-conference matchup with a full head of steam after rolling to a 73-30 victory against Brewton-Parker on Saturday. The win snapped a two-game losing streak and was Samford's first in its brand-new Pete Hanna Center. The Bulldogs' 30 points allowed was an opponent's lowest total since Dec. 9, 2004, when Samford held Tennessee Wesleyan to 30 points in a 68-30 victory.

The Bulldogs are 1-0 in road games this season after opening their 2007-08 campaign with a thrilling 50-49 victory against Evansville on Nov. 11.

Lipscomb (1-5) has played its first six games of the 2007-08 campaign on the road, and has gotten off to a rocky start.

Following neutral-site losses against Centenary College 72-69 and Winston-Salem State 68-58 in the Iowa State Tournament, Lipscomb had its losing streak extended to four-straight games with hard-fought defeats versus Appalachian State 81-58 and Middle Tennessee 68-62.

Lipscomb's lone win this season came against San Jose State on Nov. 17, 79-72.

The Bisons have two players averaging double figures in scoring. Senior Eddie Ard leads the team with 13.3 points per game and has started in all six contests. Freshman Jimmy Oden has only played in two games this season, but is averaging 10 points per outing.

Samford and Lipscomb have not squared off on the hardwood since Dec. 12, 1970.

The Bulldogs own a 2-1 all-time record in the series and have been victorious in the previous two meetings between the teams. Lipscomb won the opener 70-68 in 1968, before Samford won the next two games 69-58 on Jan. 27, 1970 and 112-76 on Dec. 12, 1970.

Samford's 6-foot-10 Travis Peterson has led the Bulldogs in scoring in each of their previous two games.

Against Towson on Tuesday, Samford's senior center was held out of the starting lineup for the first time in 63 games, but came off the bench to score 19 points. Peterson finished with 18 points and tied a career-high with four 3-point field goals in the Bulldogs' 73-30 win against Brewton-Parker on Saturday.

In Samford's version of the Princeton offense, Head Coach Jimmy Tillette's Bulldogs generally aim to get a back-door layup or a wide open look at a 3-point shot.

So far this season, Samford has averaged 7.8 three-point baskets per game and has connected on 32.3 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs are also averaging 13 layups per game and are shooting 72.2 percent from 2-point range.

Samford's senior guard Joe Ross Merritt will be making his 32nd-consecutive start Monday.

The Bulldogs' 6-foot-4 sharpshooter has been listed in the starting lineup in every game since Nov. 16, 2006, when Samford played at Towson in the Towson Center. Against the Tigers, Merritt was forced out of the starting lineup due to a sprained ankle.

In the Bulldogs' next game, Merritt returned to the starting lineup against 15th-ranked Arizona. Throughout his illustrious four-year career, Merritt has started in 74 of his 95 games at Samford.

Following Samford's matchup against Lipscomb on Monday, the Bulldogs will continue their brief two-game road swing Dec. 2 as they travel to Tallahassee, Fla., for a non-conference matchup against the Florida State Seminoles.

The contest will tip off at 1 p.m., in the Donald L. Tucker Center.

GameTracker - Samford at Lipscomb
Samford Basketball Game Notes