Jan. 29, 2008

Box Score

MURRAY, Ky. - The Samford University basketball team was handed its worst loss of the 2007-08 Ohio Valley Conference season Tuesday as the Bulldogs were defeated 62-34 on the road against the Murray State Racers in front of 2,895 people at the Regional Special Events Center.

In the loss, Samford (9-12, 6-7 OVC) was limited to its lowest scoring output since a 77-33 defeat at No. 5-ranked Texas on Nov. 16, 2005.

"This was not a pretty game," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "We were confused on offense. We started slow and were 1-of-5 from the free-throw line. We shot 7-for-30 from the arc and in the first half we couldn't find their shooters. They shot 8-of-11 from 3-point range in the first half. It was a total regression on the part of our team."

With the victory, Murray State (13-7, 9-3 OVC) extended its conference-leading winning streak to eight-consecutive games and moved into first place in the league standings. Also on Tuesday, the previous first-place team, Austin Peay, was defeated in triple-overtime at Southeast Missouri 121-116.

The Racers' Bruce Carter turned in a double-double Tuesday by posting game-highs in both scoring (19 points) and rebounds (11). He was also 8-for-15 from the field and handed out a game-high five assists.

"I think that Murray State is playing as well as anyone in the league right now," Tillette said. "They definitely look like one of the teams to beat, as well as Austin Peay and Southeast Missouri. I think that Austin Peay and Murray State are clearly the best two teams in the conference right now."

The Racers shot 55.6 percent from 3-point range, while the Bulldogs turned in a 23.3 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. The total was Samford's second-lowest of the 2008-09 campaign, barely bettering a 22.2 mark against Morehead State on Jan. 17.

The Bulldogs' Joe Ross Merritt finished with a team-high 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the floor. Samford's 6-foot-4 guard from Oklahoma City, Okla., was 3-for-9 from 3-point range and turned in two assists.

Redshirt freshman Andy King came off the bench to add a career-high six points. The Bulldogs' hard-nosed center from Omaha, Neb., was 2-for-6 from the field and knocked down a 3-point basket in the first half.

"We played a little better in the second half, but the game was already out of hand," said Tillette. "It was a sporadic effort on our part and Travis Peterson was held scoreless. He was 0-for-6 in the game. We only had seven turnovers, but for some reason our guys were not in the game. We're going to come here tomorrow and practice hard until we get it right."

Samford's senior center Travis Peterson was held scoreless in a game for the first time since exactly one year ago (Jan. 29, 2007), in a 57-51 home loss. Eerily, last season's opponent was also Murray State.

Murray State shot 65.4 percent from the field in the first half and was 8-for-11 (72.7 percent) from 3-point range. The Racers ended the opening period on a 23-5 run and took a 45-20 lead into the intermission.

Carter led Murray State with 14 points in the first half and shot 6-of-8 from the floor. The Racers' senior from Detroit, Mich., was 2-for-3 from beyond the arc and also grabbed six rebounds.

Murray State's Tyler Holloway followed with 11 points and three rebounds, and was perfect 4-for-4 from the field. The Racers' native of Decatur, Ala., was 3-for-3 from 3-point range.

Samford's Merritt paced the Bulldogs with six first-half points, but went down with an injury at the 1:15 mark in the period. He nailed his first two 3-point shots of the game and helped give Samford an early 8-7 lead with 15:57 remaining.

Despite sustaining a shin contusion in the first half, Merritt returned to the game early in the second half and scored five points throughout the final period.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Thursday at 7:30 p.m., as the Bulldogs conclude their brief two-game road trip with a matchup against the Tennessee State Tigers at the Gentry Center in Nashville, Tenn.