Feb. 22, 2007

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team dropped another hard-fought decision at home in Seibert Hall Thursday as the Bulldogs suffered a 70-67 Ohio Valley Conference defeat at the hands of the Southeast Missouri Redhawks.

"We allowed them to outshoot us in our building and that's been our problem all season long," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "We have difficulty out-shooting people and Southeast Missouri came in and shot 52 percent for the game. They were 11-for-22 from beyond the arc and they scored 45 points in the second half. That's hard to beat."

With the loss, Samford (14-15, 11-8 OVC) dropped its third-straight home game and fell to fifth place in the conference standings. The Bulldogs have been defeated in five-straight contests and fell to 8-4 in Seibert Hall this season.

Coupled with Murray State's 60-56 victory against Tennessee Tech on Thursday, the Bulldogs will most likely be forced to travel for their first-round OVC Tournament game Tuesday.

Samford's opponent will not be decided until after Saturday's full slate of games, but the Bulldogs will most likely face either Murray State or Eastern Kentucky. Samford split the regular-season series with both Murray State and Eastern Kentucky, but defeated Murray State on the road, 55-44.

Southeast Missouri (11-18, 9-10 OVC) secured an OVC Tournament berth with the victory and will be the sixth seed in next week's eight-team competition.

The Redhawks snapped their three-game losing streak and defeated Samford at home for the first time in school history. Southeast Missouri improved its all-time record to 6-3 against the Bulldogs and moved to a 1-3 record when playing in Birmingham, Ala.

Senior Terrick Willoughby paced Southeast Missouri with a game-high 20 points and shot a sizzling 6-of-8 from 3-point range. All six of his field goals came from beyond the arc and he added a pair of steals.

The Redhawks shot 52.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from long distance.

"SEMO hit a lot of tough shots and they would have beaten a lot of teams tonight," Tillette said. "They played well and Willoughby was 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. I thought that we took away their inside game for the most part, but we were never able to get out into their feet on their threes."

Samford finished with three players scoring in double figures and was led by junior Joe Ross Merritt's 18. He was 7-of-12 from the floor and connected on three of his eight 3-point attempts. The Bulldogs finished the game with a 26.7 shooting percentage from the field.

Senior Randall Gulina scored 17 points and handed out three assists, but was only 6-of-17 from the floor. Samford's three-year starter from Baton Rouge, La., finished 2-of-8 from 3-point range.

The Bulldogs' Travis Peterson tallied 13 points, four rebounds, three blocks and an assist. He played 33 minutes and was 5-of-11 from the field.

The lead changed hands five times in the first half and the score was deadlocked at the half, 25-25.

Southeast Missouri opened the second period with a 16-7 run and built a 41-32 advantage with 15:29 remaining. Samford would consistently chip away at the Redhawks' lead but would never get within three points.

The Bulldogs trailed 61-58 with 2:31 remaining in the game when David Johnson nailed his second 3-pointer of the night from the left wing. Johnson's basket swung the momentum back towards Southeast Missouri and the Redhawks would make their free throws down the stretch to earn the 70-67 victory.

Samford's Jerry Smith finished the game with four assists and moved to within two of setting the school's all-time record. He currently has 422 and is one shy of Al Walter's record of 423.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Saturday as the Bulldogs conclude their regular-season schedule at 2 p.m., against the Eastern Illinois Panthers.

Prior to the game, Samford will honor its 2006-07 senior class so fans are encouraged to arrive early for the presentation.

Saturday's contest could be the final game played in Seibert Hall. This season marks the 45th-and-final year in the historic gym before moving next door to the 32-million-dollar Pete Hanna Center.