Feb. 21, 2011

Box Score

CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Samford University basketball team committed 16 turnovers and shot 33.9 percent from the field Monday in a 75-49 Southern Conference loss against the first-place College of Charleston Cougars in front of 4,386 fans at Carolina First Arena.

"College of Charleston is a very good team, but we didn't compete to the best of our ability," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "We made too many mistakes out there and we didn't provide enough effort to beat a team like Charleston. Heading into Saturday's game against Chattanooga, we just need to have three really strong practices and close out the regular season on a positive note."

In Monday's loss, Samford (12-17, 4-13 SoCon) finished 19-of-56 from the field and 7-of-28 (25 percent) from 3-point range. The Bulldogs were led in scoring by junior Jeffrey Merritt's 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor. Samford's 6-foot-6 guard from Oklahoma City, Okla., also pulled down three rebounds and connected on a pair of key 3-point baskets.

Senior Andy King came off the bench for the Bulldogs to score eight points on 3-of-6 shooting. He also knocked down a pair of Samford's seven 3-point field goals. The Bulldogs' Drew Windler and Kaylin Johnson both chipped in with six points apiece.

On Senior Night in Charleston, S.C., it was a junior that led the Cougars in scoring. Antwaine Wiggins, College of Charleston's wiry forward from Greenville, Tenn., scored a game-high 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the floor. He also went 4-of-6 from 3-point range and grabbed nine rebounds.

The Cougars' all-time leading scorer Andrew Goudelock followed with 23 points on his Senior Night. College of Charleston's senior guard from Stone Mountain, Ga., went 10-of-22 from the field and 3-of-11 from beyond the arc. He also handed out a game-high five assists.

With Monday's victory, College of Charleston (22-7, 14-2 SoCon) extended its winning streak to seven-consecutive games. The Cougars are in the midst of their longest winning stretch of the 2011 campaign and are playing some of their best basketball despite a recent season-ending injury suffered to senior forward Jeremy Simmons.

College of Charleston has not been defeated since a 75-64 setback at Davidson on Jan. 29. The Cougars will close out their regular-season schedule with a two-game road trip at Appalachian State and Western Carolina on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

Samford never held a lead in Monday's contest and committed 16 turnovers. College of Charleston finished with 10 miscues and outscored Samford 21-13 in points off turnovers.

The Cougars led by as many as 30 points, 71-41, and shot 49.2 percent from the field. College of Charleston only shot 28.6 percent from beyond the arc, but out-rebounded the Bulldogs 41-33.

At the half, Samford trailed College of Charleston 34-19. After the Cougars jumped out to an early 15-6 lead, the Bulldogs battled back midway through the first half to trim the advantage to 19-14 with 6:18 to play. During Samford's run, Josh Bedwell drained a 3-pointer from the left wing, Merritt scored on a hanging jumper and Windler connected on a post-move hook shot.

College of Charleston ended the opening half with a 15-5 run. During the Cougars' scoring stretch, Wiggins paced his team with 13 of its 15 points, including a last-second buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the right wing.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Saturday at 4 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs play host to the Chattanooga Mocs in a regular-season finale to be held at the Pete Hanna Center. Saturday's contest will also be Senior Night and Samford's four seniors: Bedwell, Gaby Bermudez, Josh Davis and King, will be honored with a special presentation before the game.