Dec. 4, 2010

Box Score

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team was outscored 45-37 in the second half of Saturday's Southern Conference showdown against the Appalachian State Mountaineers as the Bulldogs dropped a final 78-69 decision to their North Division rivals at the Pete Hanna Center.

"This was a tough loss," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "Appalachian State is one of the best teams in this conference and today we definitely did not play at that level. I thought our basketball team took a step back today from what we were able to accomplish Thursday. It wasn't a collapse, I'm not saying that, but to beat a team like Appalachian State you have to come out prepared to play for 40 minutes."

With the loss, Samford (5-4, 1-1 SoCon) had its two-game winning streak snapped and the Bulldogs closed out their conference-opening homestand with a 1-1 record. On Thursday, Samford held on for a key 63-58 SoCon victory against Western Carolina.

With Saturday's win, Appalachian State (3-3, 1-1 SoCon) snapped a three-game losing streak and earned its first triumph of the 2010-11 conference season. The Mountaineers also took a 3-2 advantage in their all-time series with the Bulldogs. Samford was victorious in the first two meetings between the teams, but Appalachian State has since surged back to win the latest three games.

The Mountaineers scored the first five points of Saturday's contest and jumped out to an early 15-6 lead in the game. Senior guard Donald Sims knocked down the first three 3-pointers he attempted in the first half and scored nine of Appalachian State's opening 15 points.

Sims, the leading scorer in the SoCon this season, came into the game averaging 26.8 points per game. Against Samford, Appalachian State's native of Gaffney, S.C., finished with a game-high 28 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field. Sims also connected on all nine of his free-throw attempts, while pulling down seven rebounds and adding four steals.

"I thought that this loss stemmed from the fact that we didn't start the game right," Tillette said. "My question to them was, `Why?' Appalachian State is one of the best three teams in the league and (Donald) Sims is arguably one of the best two players in the league. Appalachian State played absolutely horrendous the other night, but came out determined to get it right today."

Samford's offensive attack was paced by junior guard Jeffrey Merritt's career-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor. The Bulldogs' native of Oklahoma City, Okla., came just short of notching his third double-double of the season as he grabbed nine rebounds and added a steal.

Merritt entered Thursday's game as the No. 2 rebounder in the SoCon with an average of 8.5 boards per game this season.

Despite Appalachian State's great start, Samford fought back to take a three-point lead, 19-16, with 9:39 left to play in the first half. During the Bulldogs' 13-1 run, junior Kaylin Johnson knocked down a jumper and scored on a driving layup, while John Peterson, Andy King and Merritt all nailed 3-point baskets.

"We didn't start the game right, our preparation wasn't right, but our energy got it right, but because we weren't ready to start the game right we went through a lull in the second half," said Tillette. "Unless you're committed to playing 40 minutes you're not going to win the game, and we weren't committed to playing 40 minutes today."

Both teams shot well in the first half of play, but it was Appalachian State that used a deep 3-pointer from Jeremi Booth to take a 33-32 lead into the intermission.

Booth's 3-point field goal was his first of four in the game as he finished with a career-high 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field. He was also 4-of-5 from the free-throw line and added a pair of rebounds and a pair of steals.

As a team, Appalachian State shot 51 percent from the floor and 36.8 percent from 3-point range. Samford shot 48.2 percent from the field and registered a 34.6-percent outing from beyond the arc.

Midway through the second half, Appalachian State used a 15-1 run to take a decisive 54-42 advantage in the game. During the stretch, Samford went 9:45 without tallying a field goal. Senior Josh Bedwell ended the drought by scoring on a jumper with 8:12 to play in the game.

Following a 3-point basket from freshman Will Cook from the right corner, the Bulldogs trimmed the Mountaineers' lead to 65-56 with 3:41 remaining, but Samford would not be able to get any closer as Appalachian State knocked down nine of its final 10 free-throw attempts.

Junior Andre Williamson was the third Mountaineer to score in double figures Saturday. Appalachian State's 6-foot-7 forward finished with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting and added eight rebounds.

After Merritt's personal-best 20 points, Samford's Josh Davis followed with eight points and three assists, while sophomore Gregg Wooten tallied seven points and three assists. On Saturday, Wooten made the first start of his Samford career.

"Jeffrey was able to do a good job on the offensive end, but nobody else on the team was really able to get hot," Tillette said. "We were sloppy and finished with 18 turnovers. We threw the ball all over and made poor decisions. It was not what we needed today, but any means. Having said that, we had some offensive efficiency at times, but I think the most disappointing thing was how we opened the game defensively."

The Bulldogs committed 18 turnovers and the Mountaineers scored 25 points off of Samford's miscues. Appalachian State also added 30 points in the paint.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Saturday, Dec. 11 at 4 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs continue their four-game homestand with a non-conference matchup against the UT Arlington Mavericks to be held at the Pete Hanna Center.