Stephen F. Austin
Louisiana-Lafayette
Lumberjacks Smother Cajuns
12/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2006
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball team combined a stifling defensive effort with its best shooting night of the season to collect an 80-42 win over Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday in the William R. Johnson Coliseum. The 42 points were a season-low for the Ragin' Cajuns (2-6), as was Louisiana-Lafayette's 31.9-percent effort from the floor. Meanwhile, the Lumberjacks (5-4) hit a season-best 65.2 percent from the field, led by sophomore center Matt Kingsley, who scored a game-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
The game's first five minutes told the story. SFA opened an 11-0 lead at the 14:55 mark by hitting its first four shots of the game and five of its first seven. During the same stretch at the other end of the floor, the Cajuns took just two shots - missing both - as they struggled with turnovers on six straight possessions. Louisiana-Lafayette finally got on the board on a layup by Courtney Wallace with 14:39 left in the half, but the damage was done. The Cajuns would trim the lead as close as five, but SFA finished the half shooting 54.5 percent, and the Lumberjacks held a 32-15 advantage at the break.
SFA was even better in the second half, when the `Jacks hit 18-of-24 shots for a .750 shooting percentage. Kingsley scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half. Senior center Antuane Miller came off the bench for 13 points and a game-best eight rebounds, and sophomore forward Josh Alexander added 10 points. Alexander led the team with three steals, and junior point guard Gerald Fonzie dished out four assists.
ULL's leading scorers, Ross Mouton and David Dees, who came into the game averaging 20.7 and 22.6 points per game, respectively, were held to 15 and 14 points by the Lumberjacks. Only three other Cajuns found the scoring column, none of whom scratched for more than six points.
SFA forced ULL into 20 turnovers - tied for the second-most by the Cajuns this year - and the Lumberjacks made the most of the opportunities they afforded. SFA outscored the Cajuns, 24-8, in points off turnovers. The Lumberjacks also posted 10 fast-break points to Louisiana-Lafayette's two.
SFA will enjoy a nine-day breather before its next game, scheduled for Dec. 18, when the Lumberjacks will travel to Edinburg, Texas, to take on Texas-Pan American. The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m.
- SFA -
