SFA Opens Three-Game Road Swing
2/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2006
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball team picked up a pair of vital Southland Conference wins last week by defeating Louisiana-Monroe and Nicholls State. The Lumberjacks (12-9, 5-6) need another strong showing Wednesday, when they open a three-game road swing at McNeese State. The game is set for a 7 p.m. start from Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles, La. SFA begins this week tied for fifth place in the SLC standings. McNeese State is part of a three-team tie for the No. 2 spot.
LAST GAME: The Lumberjacks sped past Nicholls State with an 83-69 win at the William R. Johnson Coliseum. Freshman guard Josh Alexander stole the show with a career-high 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting. He was joined in double figures by junior foward Antuane Miller (20) and senior point guard Marcus Clark (19). SFA led the entire game and, after a brief Nicholls scare early in the second, stretched its advantage to as many as 25 points.
VS. MCNEESE STATE: McNeese State leads the all-time series against SFA, 35-31. The Cowboys have won seven of the last 11 meetings between the two schools, but SFA has taken two of the last three, including a 64-57 come-from-behind win at the William R. Johnson Coliseum, earlier this season.
THE COWBOYS: McNeese State is 12-9 overall and 7-3 in Southland Conference play coming into Wednesday's game. The Cowboys have won three of their last four games and are 8-1 at home in Burton Coliseum. McNeese State is coming off a 69-58 road win at Texas State. SFA defeated the Cowboys, 64-57, in their first meeting this year.
THE COACHES: Danny Kaspar is in his sixth season as head coach of the Lumberjacks. Including a nine-year stint as head coach at Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Kaspar is 307-125 (.711) over his 14-year coaching career. Kaspar has guided the Lumberjacks to an 88-73 (.547) mark during his tenure. McNeese State head coach Tic Price is 165-117 (.585) in 10 seasons as a head coach. He has guided the Cowboys to a 72-63 (.533) mark in five seasons at the school.
UP NEXT: The Lumberjacks will be back in action Saturday, when they meet Louisiana-Lafayette in a non-conference game that was scheduled last month after the two squads were matched up from a pool of teams for the ESPN BracketBusters, presented by eBay. The game is set for a 4 p.m. tip in Lafayette, La.
NOTE: For complete game notes, click on the "Weekly Release" link in the sidebar of the men's basketball home page.
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