Stephen F. Austin
Texas-Pan American
Broncs Edge SFA, 46-44
12/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2006
EDINBURG, Texas - Sophomore center Matt Kingsley scored a game-high 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting, but it wasn't enough Monday night, as Texas-Pan American outlasted Stephen F. Austin for an ugly 46-44 win at UTPA Fieldhouse. Kingsley's 60-percent effort from the floor and 7-of-7 performance at the free throw line was one of very few solid shooting outings in a contest between two teams coming off long layoffs.
The teams combined to hit just 30 shots - 16 by SFA and 14 for the Broncs - with the Lumberjacks hitting 40 percent from the field and UTPA knocking down 35.9 percent. SFA committed 18 turnovers, and the Broncs gave the ball up 17 times. Neither team had played since Dec. 9, when SFA (5-5) dominated Louisiana-Lafayette, 80-42, and the Broncs fell at Texas State, 84-74. Monday's win broke a four-game losing streak for UTPA (6-5).
After the Broncs took a 3-2 lead on a Dexter Shankle 3-pointer barely 40 seconds into the game, SFA went on an 11-0 run to take a 10-point lead by the 14:20 mark. Kingsley hit four free throws in the game's opening minutes, and the run was helped along by a 3-pointer from sophomore forward Josh Alexander.
SFA held UTPA at arm's length for the majority of the first half, but a late lapse by the Lumberjacks let the Broncs back in the game. The Lumberjacks recorded seven turnovers while failing to hit a field goal in the game's final six minutes. UTPA's Brian Burrell hit a jumper with nine seconds left to trim SFA's lead to five points (21-16) going into the break.
The Lumberjacks' turnover problems persisted in the second half, and SFA's shooting percentage fell from 43.8 in the first half to 37.5 after halftime. The Broncs, meanwhile, improved from 30 percent in the first half to 42.1 in the second. UTPA also took advantage of its chances at the foul stripe, hitting 12-of-14 free throws after halftime.
The Broncs took a 32-31 lead with 8:57 left in the game. The lead changed hands six times from that point. UTPA took the lead for good on a layup by Colin Lien with 3:24 left. SFA tied the score twice afterward, with Kingsley towing the line each time. He knotted the count at 42 on a jumper with 3:09 left then tied it at 44 with his sixth and seventh free throws of the night with 20 seconds remaining. But Lien sank a jumper at the other end with four seconds left, and the Lumberjacks - needing to go the length of the floor in just over three seconds - could not get a shot off at the buzzer.
Alexander scored seven points and tied for the game lead in rebounds with six. Kingsley added five rebounds to his 19 points. Senior center Antuane Miller posted five points.
Lien led three Broncs in double digits with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting and led the team with six rebounds. Zach Trader scored 12 points, and Dexter Shankle added 10.
The Lumberjacks return to action Friday, when they entertain Northern Illinois. The game is set for a 7 p.m. start in the William R. Johnson Coliseum and will open a run of four straight home games, SFA's longest home stand of the year.
- SFA -
