Stephen F. Austin
Howard Payne
Alexander's Double-Double Leads SFA to Win
12/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2006
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Sophomore forward Josh Alexander posted his fifth career double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds in leading the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks to an 89-63 win over Howard Payne Saturday in the William R. Johnson Coliseum. Thirteen of Alexander's 24 points came in the second half, when he helped the Lumberjacks turn a halftime deficit into a win for the first time this season.
SFA also got a huge second-half boost from junior forward Trevor Guy. After playing less than a minute in the first half, Guy logged 12 minutes in the second half, when he scored all 13 of his points. He helped spark an early run after halftime that saw the Lumberjacks go from down, 42-41, at the break, to a 20-point lead (71-51) with 10:27 left in the game. SFA went on to lead by as many as 27 points before coasting to the final margin.
The Lumberjacks overcame 16 first-half turnovers by hitting all 15 of their opportunities from the free throw stripe. SFA went on to tie a school record for foul shot percentage by knocking down 20-of-20 free throws. It was the first time since a 2004 game against South Florida for an SFA team to hit all 20 free throw attempts in a game. Alexander was 9-for-9 to lead the way. Sophomore Center Matt Kingsley hit 3-of-3 foul shots to extend his streak without a miss to three games and 16 free throw attempts.
Kingsley finished with 11 points. Junior forward Scott Weaver added 12 on 4-of-4 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers, and junior forward Kyle Jacobs scored a career-high 13 points.
Craig Blackman scored 13 points to pace the Yellow Jackets, and Kendrick Johnson added 11 points for Howard Payne.
Led by Alexander's 10 boards, SFA outrebounded Howard Payne, 42-25, setting new season-highs for both rebounds and rebounding margin. The Lumberjacks harassed the Yellow Jackets into a 40-percent shooting effort and outscored the Yellow Jackets, 40-18, in the paint.
SFA will be back in action on Thursday, Jan. 4, when the Lumberjacks open Southland Conference play with a home game against Nicholls State. The contest is set to tip off at 7 p.m. in the William R. Johnson Coliseum.
- SFA -
