Samford University
Lindsey Wilson
Basketball Cruises To 82-56 Victory Against Lindsey Wilson
12.10.11 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 10, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - In its best offensive performance of the 2011-12 campaign, the Samford University basketball team shot its way to a decisive 82-56 victory over the Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders in a nonconference matchup held at the Pete Hanna Center.
"Lindsey Wilson was a really solid team and they are very good at the NAIA level," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "They have a lot of talented players, especially Justin Archie who is a transfer from the University of New Orleans. They had a lot of offensive weapons, but I thought today's game was a real step forward for our offense. We really did a great job of sharing the ball and we shot the ball well."
Samford (2-6) scored a season-high 82 points Saturday and finished with season-highs in field goals (34), field-goal percentage (59.6), assists (21) and 3-point field-goal percentage (52.4). The Bulldogs knocked down 34-of-57 attempts from the field and 11-of-21 shots from beyond the arc.
Defensively, Samford limited Lindsey Wilson (7-3) to its lowest scoring total of the season with 56 points. The Bulldogs also forced the Blue Raiders to finish with shooting percentages of 36.4 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from 3-point range.
"We did a good job of finding their shooters and forcing them to take bad shots, but we did a poor job of getting into their dribbles and making them pick up the basketball. Another thing is that we won the game handily, but we committed too many fouls. They attempted 20 free throws and we only got to the line six times. We need to do a better job of that."
For a consecutive game, Samford finished with four players scoring in double figures. Redshirt freshman Tyler Hood led the way with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, while sophomore center Drew Windler followed closely with 15 points on a 6-of-8 performance from the floor. The pair combined to knock down four 3-point baskets Saturday as Hood also chipped in with a career-high five assists.
Senior Jeffrey Merritt registered his second double-double of the season Monday as the Bulldogs' 6-foot-6 native of Oklahoma City, Okla., compiled 11 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. He also finished 4-of-6 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range.
True freshman Brandon Hayman turned in the best game of his young collegiate career against Lindsey Wilson as he tallied 10 points, four rebounds and an assist. The Bulldogs' native of Braselton, Ga., logged a career-high 10 minutes of playing time and shot 5-of-8 from the floor.
Lindsey Wilson, the No. 16-ranked team in NAIA, was paced offensively by senior guard Justin Archie's 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field. The Blue Raiders' native of Los Angeles, Calif., also finished with four rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
Guard Kalen Kimberland, Lindsey Wilson's speedy junior from Columbia, Ky., scored 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting and added four rebounds in a game-high 36 minutes of playing time.
Both teams were a bit sluggish in the first half of play as the game was tied 23-23 with 6:43 remaining in the opening period.
Samford then used four straight points from Windler, back-to-back 3-pointers from Merritt, a key long range shot from Matthew Friday and a jumper from Raijon Kelly to end the half on a momentum-shifting 15-2 run. The Bulldogs went into the half with a 38-25 advantage and since then the game was never any closer than a 15-point lead.
Friday, Samford's senior center from Grapevine, Texas, scored a career-high nine points Saturday as he finished 4-of-7 from the field, 1-for-1 from 3-point range and added three steals, two rebounds and a pair of assists.
The Bulldogs' Kelly also turned in a solid all-around performance with nine points on 4-of-4 shooting from the floor. Samford's agile 6-foot-4 guard from St. Paul, Minn., handed out four assists, grabbed two rebounds and blocked a shot.
Samford outscored Lindsey Wilson 28-14 in the paint and cashed in for 19 points off turnovers. The Bulldogs' bench also outscored the Blue Raiders' reserves 36-15.
The Samford University basketball team will take a week off for final exams before the Bulldogs' next home contest Dec. 17 versus Spring Hill at 4 p.m. (CST) in the Pete Hanna Center.
