Nov. 26, 2011

Box Score

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Samford University basketball team used a key 3-point basket from true freshman Raijon Kelly to earn a momentous 71-69 triumph on the road against the UT Arlington Mavericks on Saturday in Texas Hall.

With Samford (1-3) trailing 69-68 with 1:13 left to play, the Bulldogs' Kelly knocked down the game-winning 3-point basket from the right flank to give his squad a key 71-69 advantage. The teams then traded possessions in the final minute until UT Arlington's Shaq White-Miller was fouled in traffic with only 1.1 seconds remaining in the game.

White-Miller, with the opportunity to tie the game at 71-71, missed both of his free throws to apparently give Samford the victory at the buzzer. The officials then added 0.6 seconds to the clock with the Mavericks' possession on the left baseline.

On the final play of the game, UT Arlington's Jordan Reves quickly collected the inbounds pass on the right wing, but heaved a 12-footer just off the back rim to secure Samford's victory.

"I'm very proud of this team and we showed a great deal of toughness tonight," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "We were able to get out to a good lead in the game and then we remained tough even after they made their run to come back in the second half. This was a great road win for our team tonight and extremely proud of these guys."

Samford extended its winning streak against UT Arlington (3-2) to four straight games; a stretch that dates all the way back to 1998. The Bulldogs also took a 5-4 advantage in the all-time series between the teams.

Sophomore guard Drew Windler paced Samford's offensive attack with 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-9 native of South Milwaukee, Wis., also turned in a stellar 4-of-5 performance from 3-point range.

As a team, Samford shot 15-of-36 from beyond the arc, a 41.7-percent mark from 3-point range. The Bulldogs also shot 51.1 percent from the field.

"We shot the ball really well tonight," Tillette said. "We showed a lot of toughness throughout the game and I'm very proud of our guys. I also thought we did a really good job of rebounding the ball and we're getting better at that. It's a process and I thought we really took a good step forward tonight. Our energy level was great and that was a huge key in getting the win."

Samford finished Saturday's win with three players scoring in double figures. Along with Windler's team-leading 16 points, senior Jeffrey Merritt followed with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor. The Bulldogs' native of Oklahoma City, Okla., also turned in a 4-for-5 performance from beyond the arc.

Merritt and Windler combined to shoot 10-of-12 from the field and 8-of-10 from 3-point range to propel Samford to victory Saturday.

The Bulldogs' Will Cook also turned in a solid all-around game Saturday in front of a number of his friends and family from the surrounding Dallas area. Cook, a sophomore guard, finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal. He also knocked down a pair of key 3-point baskets.

UT Arlington suffered its first loss at home this season and dropped to 3-1 when playing at Texas Hall. Heading into Saturday's game, the Mavericks' only defeat of the 2011-12 campaign was a 10-point setback at ninth-ranked Baylor on Wednesday.

"I was really happy about how we competed against a team that was at the top of their league and undefeated at home," said Tillette. "They beat a very talented North Texas team last week and then they hung tough against Baylor the other night, so this was a huge step forward for us, but it's still a process and we're still learning."

Despite trailing by as many as 22 points in the first half, UT Arlington battled back to lead by four, 56-52, with 8:05 to play in the game.

The Mavericks were led by LaMarcus Reed's 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field and Kevin Butler's 14 points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor. Most of Butler's damage was done from the free-throw line as he finished with an unblemished 6-of-6 mark from the charity stripe.

After UT Arlington took its 56-52 advantage late in the second half, Samford's Merritt knocked down a trio of 3-point baskets down the stretch, including a crucial bank-shot at the 3:11 mark to give the Bulldogs a 65-63 lead.

From that point on, Samford and UT Arlington traded buckets as the lead changed 10 times throughout the second half. The Bulldogs' took the lead for good as Kelly knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer with 1:13 to play.

At the half, Samford held a 40-32 advantage over the Mavericks. The Bulldogs shot a sizzling 50 percent (9-of-18) from 3-point range and 60.9 percent from the field in the opening period.

Samford knocked down its first five 3-point attempts of the game and led UT Arlington 37-15 with 7:05 to play in the opening half. The Mavericks caught fire down the stretch in the first half and outscored the Bulldogs 17-3 heading into the locker room. UT Arlington shot 39.1 from the field and 4-of-12 from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes of play.

Cook, Samford's explosive guard from nearby Dallas, led the Bulldogs with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field in the first half. He also grabbed a pair of rebounds and knocked down two key 3-point baskets, including the final shot of the opening period to give Samford its 40-32 lead at the intermission.

The Bulldogs' Kaylin Johnson finished 3-for-3 from 3-point range and notched nine points in the first half, while Windler knocked down both of his 3-point attempts before getting into foul trouble.

UT Arlington was paced in the first half by Butler's 10 points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field. Butler, in his first year of eligibility after transferring from TCU, finished a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line and connected on both of his attempts from beyond the arc. Reed, UT Arlington's leading scorer this season, chipped in with nine first-half points.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Thursday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs return home to Birmingham for a critical Southern Conference opener against the Western Carolina Catamounts to be played in the Pete Hanna Center.