Stephen F. Austin
Sam Houston State
Bearkats Edge Lumberjacks
1/24/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 24, 2008
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - A long 3-pointer by Gerald Fonzie gave Stephen F. Austin a one-point lead with 22 seconds left, but Sam Houston State answered with a Shamir McDaniel three at the other end to collect a 58-56 victory Thursday in Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
The loss drops SFA to 15-3 on the season and 3-2 in Southland Conference play, breaking a three-game league win streak. Sam Houston moves back into a tie with the Lumberjacks for first place in the SLC West with a 3-2 conference mark. The Bearkats are 15-3 on the season.
The dueling 3-pointers in the closing seconds put the cap on a wild second half that saw seven lead changes, including five in the final five minutes. The Lumberjacks led the entire first half behind a strong 3-point effort in the opening period, but SFA's long-range shooting cooled in the second half, while Sam Houston picked up its inside game.
The Bearkats outscored SFA, 36-8, in the paint, including a 20-4 edge in the second frame. Sam Houston also enjoyed a 38-27 advantage on the boards with a 10-5 edge in offensive rebounding, leading to 13 second-chance points for the Bearkats against just two for SFA.
After the Bearkats went without a 3-point bucket in the first 20 minutes, they hit 3-for-7 from downtown in the second half with an overall second-half shooting percentage of .517. McDaniel hit two of Sam Houston's treys in the game's last four minutes.
SFA junior forward Josh Alexander scored a game-high 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point range and a 4-for-5 effort at the free throw line. He opened the game by shooting 4-of-5 on 3-pointers in the first frame, leading SFA to a season-best 60 percent from downtown in the first half. In all, the Lumberjacks went 6-for-10 from beyond the arc, as Fonzie and Scott Weaver each added a trey. Alexander scored SFA's first 12 points, all on 3-pointers, as he opened the game 4-for-4.
At the other end of the floor, SFA held Sam Houston to 0-for-5 from long range, but the Bearkats outscored the `Jacks, 16-4, in the paint, led by six first-half points from center John Gardiner. Guard Ashton Mitchell also added six in the opening half, but the Lumberjacks went to halftime with a 27-22 advantage after leading by as many as 10 points.
Junior center Matt Kingsley added 11 points for the Lumberjacks, and sophomore point guard Eric Bell scored nine with eight assists. Bell's nine points included five of SFA's final eight points of the game. Alexander pulled down six rebounds to lead the Lumberjacks on the boards.
Ryan Bright hauled in 18 boards to lead all players and dropped in 11 points to pace the Bearkats. McDaniel and Gardiner added 10 points each.
The Lumberjacks will be back in action next Thursday, when they host Texas State before traveling to face Texas-Arlington on Saturday, Feb. 2.
-- SFA --
