Feb. 24, 2007

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - In what will most likely be the final game played in 45-year-old Seibert Hall, the Samford University basketball team cruised to a 71-45 victory against the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Saturday. The Ohio Valley Conference game was the regular-season finale for both teams.

Samford's two seniors were honored prior to the game and responded with a pair of outstanding performances.

Randall Gulina, the Bulldogs' senior guard from Baton Rouge, La., scored a team-high 23 points on 6-of-10 shooting and finished a near-perfect 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. He also moved into 14th place on Samford's all-time scoring list with 1,204 career points.

The Bulldogs' senior point guard Jerry Smith finished Saturday's game with 10 points, four assists, four steals, four rebounds and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.

On his second assist of the game, which resulted in a 3-point basket from Gulina, he set Samford's all-time career assist record. Smith increased his school-record total to 426 and surpassed former Bulldog-great Al Walter's previous mark of 424.

"We were able to get the win today and that's all that really matters," said Smith. "We needed this win because we've been struggling as of late and hopefully we can take this positive momentum with us into the OVC Tournament."

With the victory, Samford (15-15, 12-8 OVC) ended its five-game losing streak and kept its hopes alive for a home, first-round OVC Tournament matchup.

The Bulldogs have already solidified a berth in the eight-team postseason competition, but could play one more game in Seibert Hall on Tuesday if both Murray State and Eastern Kentucky were to lose Saturday night. Murray State plays on the road against Tennessee-Martin, while Eastern Kentucky plays in Nashville, Tenn., at Tennessee State.

This season is Samford's final year of competition in historic Seibert Hall and Saturday's game was most likely the last to be played in front of the windows.

In their 45 years of competition in the building, the Bulldogs have accumulated an impressive 353-171 all-time record. In 2007-08, Samford will move next door to the brand-new, 32-million-dollar Pete Hanna Center.

The Bulldogs' 353rd victory in Seibert Hall was a key one.

With its 26-point win against Eastern Illinois (10-20, 6-14 OVC), Samford concluded its regular-season on a high note and will begin play in the OVC Tournament on Tuesday. The Bulldogs' upcoming opponent will not be officially decided until the conclusion of Saturday's games.

Samford's margin of victory Saturday was its largest of the 2006-07 campaign. The Bulldogs' previous mark was an 83-59 win against Tennessee Temple on Nov. 14.

"This was a good win for us, and it was a long time coming," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "I thought that we played with a lot of heart and a lot of will, and it's not as if we shot the ball great from beyond the arc. I thought that we were solid on both ends of the floor and we played with energy."

Samford jumped out to an early 9-2 lead Saturday and never looked back.

Following a 3-point basket from junior Travis Peterson at the 4:31 mark, the Bulldogs built a 24-11 advantage and later took a 31-15 lead into the intermission. Peterson, Samford's 6-foot-10 center from Glendale, Ariz., finished the game with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists.

The Bulldogs continued to score at will in the second half and quickly took a 48-21 advantage. Samford's largest lead of the game was 29 points at 69-40 following a Bryan Friday 3-pointer from the right corner.

Friday, a 6-foot-6 forward from Grapevine, Texas, was one of Samford's many younger players that contributed to the Bulldogs' lopsided win. He tied a career-high with eight points and was 2-for-4 from beyond the arc.

Sophomore Jason Black returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 27, on Saturday, and pulled down seven rebounds. He also tallied two assists and a steal, which he converted into a thunderous one-handed fast-break dunk in the second half.

Junior Curtis West came off the bench and knocked down a late 3-pointer, while redshirt Jim Griffin scored two points on a tip-in.

"We were able to get off to a good start today, and I thought that the key for our defense was stopping their shooters," Tillette said. "I was really happy for Randall and Jerry, and I thought that Travis did a good job as well. Joe Ross Merritt and Jason Black played very well for us and we were able to get a lot of our younger players in the game."

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Tuesday as the Bulldogs begin play in the 2007 OVC Tournament.