Jan. 8, 2011

Box Score

ELON, N.C. - The Samford University basketball team used a strong second half to rally from 20 points down to within striking distance at 54-47 late in the game Saturday before the Elon Phoenix held on for a 67-54 Southern Conference victory at Alumni Gym.

In the loss, Samford's Josh Davis scored 10 points to become the 22nd player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. With 2:58 to play, Davis knocked down a pair of free throws to reach the 1,000-point mark in his career. The Bulldogs' senior from Lubbock, Texas, extended his consecutive free throw streak to 13 straight and finished with 10 points in a team-high 29 minutes of playing time.

Samford (10-6, 2-2 SoCon) had its two-game winning streak snapped Saturday. Heading into the contest, the Bulldogs were coming off consecutive four-point victories against Eastern Michigan 55-51 and UNC Greensboro 68-64. Samford moved to 4-3 in road games this season and will close out their current three-game road trip Jan. 15, at Chattanooga.

With the win, Elon (7-8, 1-3 SoCon) defeated Samford for the first time in school history. The Phoenix improved to 1-4 against the Bulldogs and picked up their first SoCon victory of the 2010-11 campaign. Elon will next be in action Monday at UNC Greensboro.

Elon's Drew Spradlin scored 15 points in the first half, including 12 straight, to lead the Phoenix to a 38-20 advantage at the intermission. Elon took advantage of eight Samford turnovers and streaked to a 20-3 run midway through the opening period. The Phoenix jumped out to a 33-16 lead with 3:35 to play in the half.

Spradlin, Elon's junior from Wheelersburg, Ohio, finished with a game-high 26 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field. He was also 11-of-14 from the free-throw line and grabbed five rebounds.

Samford's leading scorers in the first period were Josh Davis and Gregg Wooten with five points apiece. The Bulldogs only shot 31.8 percent from the field and were 4-of-13 from beyond the arc. Elon turned in a 38.5 shooting percentage in the first half and knocked down 6-of-15 attempts from 3-point range.

Redshirt freshman Drew Windler led Samford in scoring with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor. He also knocked down a team-high three 3-point field goals and grabbed four rebounds. Davis proved to be the only other Bulldog in double figures with 10 points.

Wooten, Samford's sophomore from Memphis, Tenn., tallied nine points, three rebounds and three assists, but only shot 3-of-10 from the field. As a team, the Bulldogs only shot a final 35.4 percent from the field, their worst shooting performance since losing to Jacksonville on Nov. 24. Against Jacksonville, Samford turned in a season-low 31.7 shooting percentage.

Despite their struggles from the field, Samford fought to within 54-47 with 3:45 to play following a 3-point basket from Windler. The Bulldogs outscored Elon 34-29 in the second half and used a 10-2 run late in the period to trim the Phoenix's lead to 49-42.

During the Bulldogs' scoring stretch, Andy King, Wooten and Windler all knocked down a pair of free throws, Jeffrey Merritt connected on a free-throw attempt and Davis drained a 3-point basket from the wing.

After Samford trimmed Elon's lead to 54-47, the Phoenix's Jack Isenbarger made a key 3-pointer to extend its lead back to 10 points, 57-47. Samford would receive free throws from Davis and a 3-point basket from Bedwell down the stretch, but would not get any closer than eight points.

Elon made eight free throws in the final 1:33 to hang on for the victory.

Samford and Elon, two of the top-four teams in the nation in 3-point field goals made per game, both finished Saturday's contest with eight 3-pointers. The Bulldogs shot 8-of-26 from beyond the arc, while the Phoenix tallied an 8-of-23 performance from long distance.

Elon did most of its damage from the free-throw line. The Phoenix attempted 34 free throws Saturday and made 27. Samford only attempted 14 free throws and knocked down 12.

Elon out-rebounded the Bulldogs 44-25 and grabbed 15 rebounds on the offensive end of the floor.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Jan. 15, at 6 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs continue their three-game road swing with a SoCon North Division contest against the Chattanooga Mocs to be held at The McKenzie Arena in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn.