'Jacks Try to Lock Up Tourney Berth
2/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 28, 2006
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - After getting out to an 0-3 start in Southland Conference play, the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball team is one win away from earning admission to the eight-team SLC postseason tournament. The Lumberjacks will try to pick up that win Wednesday, when they host Louisiana-Monroe in their final home game of the regular season. The contest is set to tip off at 4 p.m. from the William R. Johnson Coliseum. SFA (14-11, 7-7) is currently sixth in the conference standings. With a win Wednesday, SFA can assure itself of no worse than a sixth-place tie with Texas-Arlington and a No. 7 seed in the tournament. A loss to Louisiana-Monroe would not automatically eliminate the Lumberjacks from tournament eligibility, but if SFA were to lose to the Indians and drop Saturday's season finale at Sam Houston, the Lumberjacks could end up on the wrong side of a three- or four-team tiebreaker between SFA, ULM, UTA and Texas-San Antonio.
LAST GAME: The Lumberjacks used a big first-half run to put some distance between themselves and Texas State, then coasted to a 70-59 win over the Bobcats on Saturday. Freshman Josh Alexander scored 20 points to lead four Lumberjacks in double figures. Alexander also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Senior point guard Marcus Clark scored 15 points and recorded nine assist with no turnovers.
VS. LOUISIANA-MONROE: The Lumberjacks trail the all-time series against the Indians with a 16-29 record. SFA is 7-4 against Louisiana-Monroe under head coach Danny Kaspar. SFA has won three of the last five games, including a 63-59 road win earlier this season.
THE INDIANS: Louisiana-Monroe enters Wednesday's contest with a 10-17 season mark and a 6-9 record in Southland Conference play. The Indians are coming off consecutive home losses to McNeese State and Lamar and have dropped five of their last six games, dating back to their 63-59 loss to the Lumberjacks on Feb. 9.
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 309-127 (.709) over his 14-year coaching career. Kaspar has guided the Lumberjacks to a 90-75 (.545) mark during his tenure. Louisiana-Monroe head coach Orlando Early has guided the Indians to a 10-17 mark in his first season in charge of the team.
UP NEXT: The Lumberjacks will hit the road for their regular-season finale Saturday at rival Sam Houston State. The game against the Bearkats is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. from Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum, in Huntsville.
NOTE: For complete game notes, click on the "Weekly Release" link in the side bar of the men's basketball home page.
- SFA - TM
