Lumberjacks Host Louisiana-Lafayette
12/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 8, 2006
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Looking to Bounce Back: The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball team will try to rebound from its first home loss of the season Saturday when it hosts Louisiana-Lafayette. The game against the Ragin' Cajuns (2-5) is set for a 6 p.m. start from the William R. Johnson Coliseum. Louisiana-Lafayette is the second straight Sun Belt Conference opponent for the Lumberjacks (4-4).
Last Game: SFA was defeated at home for the first time this year, as the Lumberjacks could not derail a hot-shooting North Texas team Wednesday in a 76-70 loss. North Texas shot 66 percent for the game, including a 73-percent effort in the first half. Sophomore forward Josh Alexander led all scorers with a season-high 22 points. Sophomore center Matt Kingsley scored 16 points and pulled down a game-high seven rebounds. Senior guard Chaz Dykes added 11 points. Despite being outrebounded, 31-21, the Lumberjacks beat UNT, 15-7, in second-chance points. However, the SFA bench, a strength all season, was outscored by the Mean Green reserves, 20-16. The Lumberjacks enjoyed their best free throw shooting night of the year, hitting 20 of 24 opportunites for an .833 free throw percentage.
vs. Louisiana-Lafayette: The Lumberjacks hold a 4-1 all-time advantage in five games against the Ragin' Cajuns. The series began in 1931, with SFA taking a 30-19 victory. After a long hiatus, the series was renewed last year as part of the ESPN BracketBusters event. Louisiana-Lafayette collected a 66-63 win at the Cajundome in Lafayette, La.
The Ragin' Cajuns: Louisiana-Lafayette enters Saturday's game with a 2-5 mark. The Ragin' Cajuns are coming off a 65-60 home win against Louisiana Tech. That victory snapped a five-game losing streak for the Cajuns. Louisiana-Lafayette is coming off a 13-16 campaign in 2005-06.
The Coaches: Danny Kaspar is in his seventh season as the head basketball coach at SFA. Kaspar is 97-80 (.548) in his time with the Lumberjacks. He is 316-132 (.705) in 15 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Louisiana-Lafayette is coached by third-year head coach Robert Lee. Lee's teams have gone 35-32 (.522) in his first head coaching assignment.
Up Next: SFA will have a nine-day break before its next game. The Lumberjacks are scheduled to travel to Edinburg, Texas, on Dec. 18 for a game against Texas-Pan American. SFA will follow that game up with a Dec. 22 home game against Northern Illinois before breaking camp for the Christmas holiday.
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