Stephen F. Austin
Texas Lutheran
11/4/2026 10:12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SFA carries nine-game home non-conference winning streak into Friday night's matchup
Stephen F. Austin vs. Texas Lutheran
Friday, November 6Â | 6:30Â P.M. CT
William R. Johnson Coliseum | Nacogdoches, Texas
LISTEN: SFA Jacks App, Varsity App
WATCH: ESPN+Â
THE SERIES: SFA, 3-0
1983-84: SFA, 75-66
1983-84: SFA, 58-56
1973-74: SFA, 72-64
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin closes its two-game opening homestand Friday night when Texas Lutheran visits Nacogdoches. The Lumberjacks opened their second season under Matt Braeuer with a 120–61 win over Lyon College on Monday, setting program and Southland Conference single-game records with 26 made three-pointers. Friday counts as a regular-season game for SFA and an exhibition for Texas Lutheran. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. inside William R. Johnson Coliseum. Live coverage links, including the ESPN+ broadcast as well as audio streaming, are available at sfajacks.com.Â
-- TIPPING OFF --
OPENING-NIGHT STREAKS CONTINUE: The victory over Lyon gave SFA its 10th consecutive season-opening win and its 28th straight home-opening win. The Lumberjacks improved to 16–1 at home under Braeuer and to 12–0 when leading by at least 10 points at halftime.
A SERIES RENEWED: Friday marks the first meeting between the programs since Jan. 7, 1984, when the Lumberjacks won 75–66. SFA also won 58–56 earlier that season.Â
A FAMILIAR FACE ON THE VISITING BENCH: Fifth-year Texas Lutheran head coach Austin Falke played three seasons for the Lumberjacks and served as an SFA graduate assistant in 2011–12. Falke was part of SFA's first two Southland regular-season championship teams in 2007–08 and 2008–09. Those teams finished 26–6 and 24–8, respectively. His first two seasons included the 2008 NIT appearance and the program's first NCAA Division I Tournament appearance in 2009.
YEAR 53 INSIDE WRJ: SFA is 559–179 mark (.757) from 1974–75 through 2025–26 when playing at home inside WRJ Coliseum. SFA went 15–1 at home last season, marking its 10th season with at least 15 home victories during that span and its fifth since 2012–13. William R. Johnson Coliseum first hosted men's basketball on Nov. 21, 1974, when SFA defeated Midwestern State 86–74.Â
THREEEEEEEEEEE FAAAALLLIIINNN'
After setting a program record with 302 three-pointers last season, the Lumberjacks opened 2026–27 by going 26-for-56 from deep. SFA made 15 threes before halftime, then broke the previous single-game mark of 19 (vs. Schreiner, 11/25/96) when Narit Chotikavanic hit the team's 20th with 11:40 remaining. Eight Lumberjacks connected from beyond the arc, and the 26 makes accounted for 78 of SFA's 120 points. The 26 made shots from beyond-the-arc stand as an SLC record bettering the previous league-best mark of 22 done twice and most recently by Houston Christian in a 2021 game against Barclay.Â
THE NAR"IT" FACTOR
Chotikavanic picked up where he left off after making a team-high 87 threes last season. The junior went 6-for-9 from deep against Lyon, finishing with a team-high 18 points and four assists in 16 minutes. It was his fourth career game with six or more makes from deep and his third as a Lumberjack. Chotikavanic has made 93 three-pointers in 35 games at SFA, shooting 40.4% (93–230). His 87 makes last season ranked third in program single-season history.Â
MJ, MARCUS AND MAKKE
MJ Russell, Marcus Scurry and Erik Makke combined for 48 points and 14 three-pointers in SFA's season-opening win over Lyon. Russell scored 17 points in 15 minutes, connecting on five of six attempts from beyond the arc. Scurry supplied a career-high 16 points off the bench with four threes, surpassing his previous best of 15 in last season's opener against Millsaps. Makke finished with 15 points on five three-pointers in his collegiate debut, including a perfect 4-for-4 effort from deep before halftime.Â
ALISAS LEADS THE WORK ON THE GLASS
Gediminas Alisas grabbed seven offensive rebounds and 10 overall, his first double-digit board effort as a Lumberjack, in 18 minutes as SFA won the rebounding battle 62–27. The Lumberjacks turned 24 offensive boards into 37 second-chance points. At the other end, Edwin Daniel blocked three shots and Christian Green added two as SFA finished with eight blocks and held Lyon to 31.7 percent shooting.
120 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE '96
The Lumberjacks' 120 points were their most since scoring 138 against Schreiner on Nov. 25, 1996. It marked SFA's third 100-point performance under Braeuer, following 103-point efforts against Millsaps and Dallas last season.Â
62 BEFORE THE BREAK
SFA built a 62–26 halftime lead behind 15 three-pointers and 16 assists on 20 baskets. The 62 first-half points were the most under Braeuer and SFA's most since scoring 64 against Paul Quinn on Dec. 22, 2023.
PLUS-35 ON THE GLASS
The Jacks outrebounded Lyon 62–27, establishing a new rebounding high under Braeuer. SFA collected 24 offensive rebounds and outscored the Scots 37–2 in second-chance points, with six Lumberjacks grabbing at least five boards.
26 HELPERS
SFA finished with 26 assists on 38 baskets, matching its assist total against Dallas last December. Seven Lumberjacks recorded multiple assists, led by Courterius Scott's five in 13 turnover-free minutes.
NINE NEW JACKS TAKE THE FLOOR
Nine newcomers made their official SFA debuts against Lyon. Kensington Candler, Erik Makke and Manu Manciel made their collegiate debuts, while Edwin Daniel, Easton Hupp, Kobi Pearson, Amari Reed, MJ Russell and Courterius Scott brought previous collegiate experience. Daniel recorded six points, five rebounds and a team-high three blocks in 16 minutes, shooting 3-for-5. Simmons supplied seven points, four rebounds and four assists in 19 minutes, with no turnovers. Manciel scored eight points, including two three-pointers, and added four rebounds and three assists in his collegiate debut. Scott led SFA with five assists in 13 minutes without a turnover, while contributing three points and three rebounds.
THE DEFENSIVE TRIFECTA
SFA improved to 4–0 under Braeuer when holding an opponent below 40% shooting, collecting at least 40 rebounds and blocking at least five shots in the same game. Against Lyon, the Jacks allowed 31.7% shooting, grabbed 62 rebounds and blocked eight shots.Â
FORTY BOARDS: The Lumberjacks are 13–1 when collecting at least 40 rebounds under Braeuer. Their 62 against Lyon surpassed last season's high of 56 against Dallas.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Texas Lutheran, an NCAA Division III program from Seguin, finished 10–15 overall and 5–11 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference last season. The Bulldogs averaged 79.0 points and made 8.3 three-pointers per game while allowing 81.5 points. Senior forward Teddy Tapken returns after averaging 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 60.7 percent from the floor in 20 starts. The Bulldogs open their regular season Nov. 10 at Schreiner.Â
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Over 53% of the Jacks' 2026-27 roster hails from the Lone Star State. Pearson and Reed both hail from Lancaster and helped Lancaster High School win the 2024 UIL Class 5A state championship. Simmons represents Beaumont, Melvin comes from Arlington and Green lists San Antonio as his hometown. Chotikavanic is from Plano, Candler from Little Elm and Hupp from Fort Worth. That Texas contingent includes three of the five returners and five of the 10 newcomers. Beyond its eight Texas natives, SFA's roster features players from five other states and two European countries. Marcus Scurry hails from Augusta, Georgia, Courterius Scott comes from Jackson, Mississippi, and MJ Russell is from Coker, Alabama. Edwin Daniel represents Washington Heights, New York, while Manu Manciel is a Detroit, Michigan, native. Gediminas Alisas, from Vilnius, Lithuania, and Erik Makke, from Keila, Estonia, provide the roster's international representation.Â
Of the ten new faces, six bring previous Division I experience: Pearson from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Ashton Simmons from TCU, Russell from ULM, Easton Hupp from Charleston Southern, Daniel from La Salle and Reed from UT Arlington. Scott arrives from Southwest Mississippi Community College. Kensington Candler and Manu Manciel join from Little Elm High School and Wasatch Academy, respectively, while Erik Makke arrives after competing with BC Kalev/Cramo in Estonia.Â
DEFENDING THE CROWN
SFA enters the season as the defending Southland regular-season champion after becoming the first program in conference history to win 20 league games in a season. The championship was the Lumberjacks' sixth Southland regular-season title and their first since 2019–20. SFA won 20 of its 22 conference contests and reached the Southland Tournament championship game. The title defense begins Dec. 5 against East Texas A&M in Nacogdoches.Â
TABBED SECOND IN THE 'LAND
The Lumberjacks received 109 points to finish second in the Southland preseason poll. Defending tournament champion McNeese topped the voting with 121 points and 11 first-place selections. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi followed SFA in third with 98 points and the remaining first-place vote. Lamar and UTRGV rounded out the top five.Â
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!
Season and single-game tickets are available now! Men's basketball season tickets are only $149 and include admission to 16 home games—less than $10 per game. Single-game tickets are available beginning at just $10. For ticket information or assistance purchasing, contact the SFA Athletics Ticket Office at 936-468-5225 or tickets@sfasu.edu.
THE JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.
FOLLOW THE LUMBERJACKS
For all the latest information on SFA men's basketball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Lumberjacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
#AxeEm x #WinTogether
