Nov. 26, 2007

Box Score

NASHVILLE - With five seconds remaining in regulation, Samford's Joe Ross Merritt connected on an apparent game-winning 3-point basket to give the Bulldogs a 57-55 lead. Lipscomb's Michael Lusk then went coast-to-coast for a game-tying layup at the buzzer. In overtime, the Bisons used 11 free throws to win 70-65.

With the loss, Samford (2-3) dropped its first road contest of the 2007-08 campaign. In their season-opener, the Bulldogs rallied for a come-from-behind 50-49 victory at Evansville. Samford is currently 1-1 in away games this season and will play at Florida State on Sunday at 1 p.m. (CST).

Samford was led in scoring by Merritt's 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-4 sharpshooter tied a career-high with five 3-point baskets. As a team, Samford shot a season-high 44 percent from beyond the arc and Merritt finished 5-for-8 in 3-point attempts.

Sophomore point guard Trey Montgomery added a career-high 15 points Monday. The Bulldogs' native of Destrehan, La., was 6-of-8 from the field and grabbed four rebounds.

Samford fell short in the battle of the boards and was out-rebounded 36-24.

Lipscomb (2-5) earned its second win in three games Monday and tallied its first victory at home in Allen Arena. The Bisons' contest against the Bulldogs was their home-opening game of the 2007-08 campaign.

Freshman forward Brandon Brown turned in the best performance of his young collegiate career as he finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds. He was only 4-of-6 from the field, but knocked down 7-of-8 free throws, including six in the second half and overtime.

Lipscomb's leading scorer on the season Eddie Ard also finished with 17 points. He was 6-of-16 from the floor 4-of-5 from the charity stripe.

After a pair of late free throws from Curtis West, Samford led 54-53 with 34.2 remaining in regulation. The Bisons' Jason Hopkins then failed to convert on a jump shot and the Bulldogs grabbed the rebound, but Travis Peterson turned the ball over on an errant pass.

On the next possession, Brown was fouled and knocked down both free throws to give Lipscomb a 55-54 advantage with 19 seconds left.

The next time down the floor, the Bulldogs worked through their offense and found Merritt at the top of the key to drain the go-ahead 3-pointer. Following the bucket, Samford did not have any timeouts remaining and Lusk was able to drive the full length of the court for the tying score.

Lipscomb shot 39.3 percent in the game and 32 percent from beyond the arc. The Bisons only committed 12 turnovers while the Bulldogs finished with 17.

Samford's Peterson registered his first double-double of the 2007-08 campaign Monday.

The Bulldogs' 6-foot-10 center from Glendale, Ariz., scored 12 points and added a career-high 10 assists. His previous career-best in assists was six, which he achieved against Tennessee Tech on Jan. 14, 2006.

Samford trailed at the half 28-26.

The Bulldogs outshot the Bisons 47.6 percent to 40.7 percent in the opening period of play, but committed 10 first-half turnovers. Lipscomb only turned the ball over seven times in the opening 20 minutes of play.

Samford's Merritt led all scorers in the first half with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field. The Bulldogs' senior guard from Oklahoma City, Okla., knocked down a pair of key 3-point field goals and was 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Sunday at 1 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs travel to Tallahassee, Fla., for a non-conference matchup against the Florida State Seminoles. The game will be played at Florida State's Donald L. Tucker Center (12,100).