Jan. 15, 2009

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team finished with five players scoring in double figures for the first time this season Thursday as the Bulldogs rallied for a 76-64 Southern Conference victory against the Western Carolina Catamounts at the Pete Hanna Center.

In the win, Samford (7-8, 2-4 SoCon) shot a stellar 56.3 percent from the field and had Bryan Friday, Andy King, Josh Davis, Trey Montgomery and Josh Bedwell all score in double figures.

"This was a good win for us and we played with a lot of heart," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "We were able to exploit some things around the basket and we were able to connect on some back-cuts. We also hit some timely 3s and that was huge for us. On the other end of the floor, we made some mental mistakes, but those can be corrected."

King, the Bulldogs' sophomore center, led the way with 16 points on a 6-of-11 performance from the field. Samford's native of Omaha, Neb., also finished with four rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists.

Junior Trey Montgomery followed with 15 points and a game-high seven assists. The Bulldogs' point guard from Destrehan, La., was 5-of-10 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Montgomery also added four rebounds and a steal in 28 minutes of play.

"Trey did a lot of good things for us tonight," Tillette said. "He played really physical and he did a great job of scoring around the basket. He missed a couple of layups throughout the game, but he definitely made up for it with his hustle and his leadership. I thought that he also did a great job from the free-throw line and that was huge."

Samford's Josh Bedwell came off the bench Thursday to spark the team's offense in the second half. The Bulldogs' 6-foot shooting guard from nearby Hartselle, Ala., scored 10 of his 14 points in the final period and was 4-of-7 from the field.

Bedwell also knocked down a pair of key 3-point baskets and finished 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. He currently leads Samford with a near-perfect 91.2 shooting percentage from the line, but had his streak of 16-consecutive free throws snapped Thursday. After missing his second attempt of the night, he then knocked down his last three.

Samford's Bryan Friday and Josh Davis both tallied 10 points in the victory. Friday was 4-for-9 from the floor and added four rebounds, while Davis finished 4-of-6 from the field and pulled down a team-high six boards.

Thursday's defeat marked Western Carolina's (8-6, 3-1 SoCon) only conference loss of the 2008-09 campaign. Heading into the game, the Catamounts were one of two undefeated teams in the conference. Currently, Davidson is the only undefeated team in the SoCon with a 5-0 league record.

Samford will host Stephen Curry and Davidson at the Pete Hanna Center on Saturday, Jan. 31. The game will begin at 2 p.m. (CST) and will be televised live on SportSouth.

Following a deep 3-point basket from Davis with 5:09 remaining in the first half, Samford led by as many as 10 points, 25-15. Western Carolina then finished the first period on a 10-4 run to cut the lead to 29-27 at the intermission. During the Catamounts' streak, Harouna Mutombo scored five of the team's 10 points.

Mutombo, the reigning SoCon Player of the Week, finished Thursday's game with a team-high 16 points, but was only 6-of-17 from the field. The Catamounts' redshirt freshman from Pickering, Ontario, was 0-for-2 from 3-point range and 4-of-7 from the free-throw line.

Western Carolina's Brandon Giles followed with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor.

"Western Carolina is a very physical team and I thought we gave them too many easy shots," said Tillette. "They were able to get a lot of second shots, but all-in-all we were able to defend them well the entire game."

Early in the second half, Samford's King knocked down a 3-point basket to give the Bulldogs a 39-31 lead with 18:11 remaining. The Catamounts then used four straight points from Giles and a running one-hander from Mutombo to tie the score at 39-39.

With 12:54 left in the game, Samford's Montgomery buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Bulldogs a 42-39 advantage, and they never trailed again. Samford went on an 11-0 run midway through the second half which was capped off by Bedwell's dribble-drive and spinning up-and-under layup with 4:45 remaining.

Bedwell was fouled on the acrobatic drive and finished off the 3-point play to give Samford a decisive 13-point lead.

"Our guys played with poise during that stretch and that was huge," said Tillette. "I can see them maturing as the season goes on and they're making better decisions. Today was the first time all year that we had five guys in double figures and it shows that everyone is doing their part to get the victory."

Samford's Curtis West started the game and finished with seven points, two assists and a steal in 27 minutes of play. The Bulldogs' senior guard was 2-for-2 from the field and knocked down a critical 3-point basket in the second half.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Saturday at 2 p.m., as the Bulldogs continue their brief two-game homestand with a SoCon matchup against the Appalachian State Mountaineers. The contest will be held at the Pete Hanna Center.