Stephen F. Austin
Texas A&M Corpus Christi*
Islanders Hold off Charging Lumberjacks
2/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 28, 2007
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Sophomore forward Josh Alexander scored 24 of his game-high 29 points in the second half, but it wasn't enough for SFA to get past Southland Conference West-leading Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Islanders held off multiple second-half charges by the Lumberjacks to notch a 69-65 victory over Stephen F. Austin Wednesday night in the American Bank Center.
The loss leaves the Lumberjacks at 15-12 on the year and 8-7 in SLC action, with one regular-season game remaining before the O'Reilly Auto Parts Southland Conference Tournament.
After going to halftime down six (27-21) the Lumberjacks trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half. But SFA went on a blistering 14-1 run over a span of two minutes, 41 seconds to trim a 41-27 Islander lead down to a 42-41 margin with 10:49 to play. The run was highlighted by two Alexander 3-pointers and three A&M-Corpus turnovers. Shelby Lewis drove to the bucket for the layup that made it a one-point margin.
But the Islanders answered with a pair of free throws by Josh Ervin to make it a three-point game and start an 11-2 run of their own to take the lead back out to double digits.
Alexander would sink four 3-point shots in the game's final seven minutes, helping the Lumberjacks cut the lead to five points on several occasions and get within four points twice. But with the Islanders in the double-bonus from the stripe for much of the second frame and shooting 55 percent from the floor after halftime, SFA just couldn't close the gap. A&M-Corpus finished the game 25-for-41 from the charity stripe, the 41 attempts by far a season-high for a Lumberjack opponent.
Alexander finished 7-for-13 on 3-point field goals, tying his career mark for 3-pointers. His 29 points were two off his career-best of 31, set earlier this season against Northern Illinois. Senior center Antuane Miller added 10 points, but no other SFA player scored more than five points.
For the game, SFA shot 41.7 percent, while the Islanders were nearly 10 percentage points better at 51.2. The Lumberjacks made the most of their free throw chances when they got them, hitting 17-of-21 at the line. Led by Alexander's nine rebounding, SFA hung close in the rebounding count against the bigger Islanders, losing on the boards, 32-30.
SFA will wrap up the regular season Saturday when it hosts Texas-San Antonio. The game against the Roadrunners is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start in the William R. Johnson Coliseum.
-- SFA --
