SFA Set to Open SLC Tournament
3/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 7, 2007
HOUSTON, Texas - Tournament Time: The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball team returns to the O'Reilly Auto Parts Southland Conference Tournament for the 10th time in school history Thursday, when the Lumberjacks take on No. 3 Northwestern State. The sixth-seeded 'Jacks are set to meet the Demons at 2:30 p.m., in the second game of the tournament. SFA finished the regular season with a 15-13 overall record and an 8-8 mark in Southland Conference play. That finish left SFA tied with Texas-Arlington for third place in the SLC West Division. The Lumberjacks took the No. 6 seed by virtue of UTA's tiebreaker edge.
Last Game: SFA led for most of the second half before a pair of big 3-pointers down the stretch gave Texas-San Antonio a 54-49 win in the regular-season finale on Saturday. The Lumberjacks outshot UTSA, 44 percent to 42 percent and beat the Roadrunners on the boards, 29-24, but SFA could hit just one shot -- a 3-pointer by senior guard Keith Hardaway -- in the game's final four minutes. Hardaway finished with a team-high 10 points. Sophomore forward and leading scorer Josh Alexander posted nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range before fouling out with nearly eight minutes left in the game.
vs. Northwestern State: The Demons hold a 57-45 edge in the series, which started in 1945. SFA is 5-7 against Northwestern State under current head coach Danny Kaspar. The Demons have won four straight in the rivalry, including a 67-57 verdict earlier this season. The two teams have met just once in the Southland Conference Tournament. Northwestern State took an 85-64 win in that game, played in Shreveport, La., in 1997.
The Demons: The Demons won the Southland Conference East Division title with a 15-14 overall mark and a 10-6 record in SLC play. Northwestern State has run hot and cold in league play. The Demons won seven games in a row after opening the SLC slate with a 1-2 record. Northwestern wrapped up its season by losing five of its last eight games, including a defeat against Central Arkansas in the season finale on Saturday.
The Coaches: Danny Kaspar is in his seventh season as the head basketball coach at SFA. Kaspar is 108-89 (.548) in his time with the Lumberjacks. He is 327-141 (.699) in 15 seasons as a collegiate head coach. The Demons are coached by Mike McConathy, now in his eighth season at Northwestern State. McConathy has guided the Demons to a 128-115 (.527) record.
Up Next: A win against the Demons would move SFA into the SLC Tournament semifinals for the fourth time in five years. The Lumberjacks would face the winner of Thursday's first game between No. 2 Sam Houston State and No. 7 Lamar. That semifinal showdown would take place Friday at 6 p.m.
* For complete notes, click the "Game Notes" link in the side bar of the Men's Basketball home page.
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