Feb. 22, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team will step out of Ohio Valley Conference play for a single game Saturday as the Bulldogs travel to Ruston, La., for a matchup against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs beginning at 7 p.m., in the Thomas Assembly Center (8,000).

The game will be a part of the 2008 ESPNU BracketBusters Challenge. Fans not able to attend the matchup in person can listen live to the Louisiana Tech broadcast for free at www.espn977.com.

Samford (12-14) enters the contest looking to maintain its positive momentum from a 74-73 home victory against Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 16.

In the win, the Bulldogs' senior center Travis Peterson scored a career-high 26 points and added a game-high seven rebounds. The matchup was Samford's final home contest of the 2007-08 campaign.

With their win against Eastern Kentucky, the Bulldogs snapped a two-game losing streak and earned their first season sweep of the Colonels in school history.

Samford, which is currently tied for sixth place in the OVC standings along with Tennessee State, improved to 8-7 in its all-time series against Eastern Kentucky. The Bulldogs picked up two-straight wins in the rivalry for the first time since 1997.

Louisiana Tech (4-20) heads into Saturday's game as the last-place team in the Western Athletic Conference with a 1-11 league mark.

The Bulldogs have been defeated in 11 of their previous 12 games and have not been victorious since a 72-64 home win over Idaho on Feb. 9. Louisiana Tech's other three triumphs this season have come against Louisiana-Lafayette 64-56, Alcorn State 78-69 and McNeese State 73-63.

Louisiana Tech is being led in scoring by Kyle Gibson's 16 points per game.

Samford owns a 2-2 all-time record against Louisiana Tech. The teams last played 20 years ago during the 1987-88 campaign when Tech rallied for a 73-67 win in Rustin, La. Louisiana Tech also won the first meeting between the schools in 1936, 37-36, while Samford won the two middle games of the series 55-42 in 1939 and 60-54 in 1982.

Samford's two graduating seniors Joe Ross Merritt and Peterson have both started for the Bulldogs in at least two seasons, and are being looked upon for leadership and guidance throughout the 2007-08 campaign.

Merritt, a 6-foot-4 guard from Oklahoma City, Okla., started in 10 games as a redshirt freshman in 2004-05 and has been a staple in the Bulldogs' opening lineup ever since. He has started in 95 of the 117 games of his career, including 85 of the team's previous 89 contests.

Peterson, Samford's 6-foot-10 center from Glendale, Ariz., has started in 84 of the Bulldogs' last 89 games. He has been a key member in the team's starting lineup since his sophomore year in 2005-06, and started at center in all 32 games last season.

Prior to this season, the Bulldogs' 2007-08 seniors combined for 157 career starts, while no one else on Samford's roster had started in a regular-season game.

Samford is the second-ranked team in the nation in fewest personal fouls per game.

The Bulldogs are only averaging 14.2 fouls per contest and have only allowed opponents to shoot a total of 359 free throws this season. Samford is also ranked among the nation's leaders in scoring defense and 3-point field goals per game.

The Bulldogs are also ranked No. 15 in scoring defense (59.9 ppg) and No. 54 in 3-point field goals per game (8.0).

In only his first season as Samford's starting point guard, sophomore Trey Montgomery is proving to be one of the Bulldogs' top performers and a solidifying force on the young team.

Montgomery, a 6-foot-4 native of Destrehan, La., has started in 24 of the team's 26 games this season and is averaging 10.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per contest. Earlier this season, in a 65-64 victory against Murray State, he scored a career-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting.

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 8.0 3-point baskets per game and has connected on 34.7 percent of its attempts from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs are also averaging 9.6 layups per game and are shooting 58.5 percent from 2-point range.

Following Samford's non-conference matchup at Louisiana Tech on Saturday, the Bulldogs will return to OVC play and prepare for its crucial final weekend of the regular season.

On Thursday, Samford will play at Southeast Missouri at 7:30 p.m., before closing out its regular season Saturday at 7 p.m., on the road against Eastern Illinois. With one more conference victory, the Bulldogs will clinch a spot in the 2008 OVC Tournament.

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