Samford University
University of Texas San Antonio
Bulldogs Can't Sustain Early Momentum In 74-52 Loss To UTSA
12.5.11 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team jumped out to a quick 14-3 advantage against the UTSA Roadrunners on Monday, but went cold from the field midway through the opening half and eventually suffered a 74-52 nonconference loss at the Pete Hanna Center. With the defeat, the Bulldogs dropped to 0-4 when playing at home this season.
"We had a one-point lead at halftime and we were up 14-5 at one point," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "I thought we had some good looks and we actually could have been up eight to 10 points at the half. Something just switched for us at halftime, but they have some talented guys. They shot 76 percent in the second half and that is just ridiculous."
Samford (1-5) was paced offensively Monday by sophomore forward Tyler Hood who scored a career-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. The Bulldogs' native of Kingston, Tenn., tallied a second straight, career-high outing after he registered eight points against Western Carolina on Thursday.
Hood made the first start of his Samford career Monday and grabbed a personal-best seven rebounds. He also handed out three assists, connected on a trio of 3-point baskets and blocked two shots in 28 minutes of playing time.
Samford led 27-26 at the half, but was outscored 48-25 in the second period as UTSA (5-4) shot a sizzling 76 percent (19-of-25) from the floor in the final 20 minutes of play.
The Roadrunners tallied their second straight victory Monday and finished with four players scoring in double figures. Jeromie Hill led all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field, while Kannon Burrage followed with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
UTSA's Alex Vouyoukas added 11 points, while Stephen Franklin nearly tallied a double-double with 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists, a pair of steals and a blocked shot.
The Roadrunners turned in a season-high 60-percent outing from the field, while Samford finished with a 30.9-percent shooting performance. UTSA concluded the game shooting 30-of-50 from the field and 4-of-11 from beyond the arc.
The Bulldogs attempted 41 of its 55 field-goal attempts from 3-point range and connected on 12 of the long range shots. Samford tallied a 29.3 percentage from beyond the arc.
"We missed open shots against the zone and our energy waned," Tillette said. "That was unacceptable and we have to be better at that on both ends of the floor. We just had an awful second half of basketball. We had a really good first half, but we need to play the entire 40 minutes and we need to get better. I thought that Tyler Hood came in and was a real positive for us tonight."
UTSA's expansive 2-3 zone forced the Bulldogs to make their living from the 3-point line Monday, while the Roadrunners outscored Samford 30-8 in the paint.
The Bulldogs' starting lineup consisted of two freshmen, two sophomores and senior Jeffrey Merritt. Throughout the game, Samford played four true freshmen, one redshirt freshman and three sophomores.
"We have a lot of young players on this team, but that's not an excuse," said Tillette. "We need to be better and we need to be better for longer periods. I thought we started the game well and that we probably should have been up more at halftime, but the second half was woeful and we'll go back to work tomorrow and we're going to get this right. I don't know when, but we're going to get this right."
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Wednesday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs continue play in their season-long, five-game homestand against the Mercer Bears at the Pete Hanna Center (5,000).
