SFA Set To Take On Mavs
1/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 20, 2009
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -
ESSENTIALS
SFA at UT-Arlington
Wednesday, January 21, 2009 • 7:00 p.m.
Texas Hall (3,600) • Arlington, Texas
Radio: Q107.7 FM • Television: None • Internet: Yahoo! Sports
GAME INFORMATION
The Stage Is Set: The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball team will take its show to the stage at Texas Hall Wednesday against UT-Arlington in a road game with big Southland Conference title implications. The contest pits the preseason polls' projected winners of the SLC East and West Divisions. The Lumberjacks enter the game with an 11-4 overall record and one of only two unblemished conference marks in the SLC at 3-0. The Mavericks are 9-7 on the year after playing a tough non-conference schedule, and UTA is tied for second in the SLC West Division with a 2-1 record.
Last Game: SFA put the clamps on Nicholls State for a 55-40 home win over the Colonels on Saturday. The Colonels were held to 15 points in the first half, when they converted just 6-of-17 attempts from the field. Matt Kingsley scored 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead all players in both categories as he put up his second consecutive double-double. Josh Alexander added 15 points, and Eric Bell dished out seven assists to go with a season-high four rebounds. Nicholls' top two scorers combined for 29 points, but no other Colonels player scored more than five points, and the Nicholls bench was held scoreless.
vs. UT-Arlington: SFA is 27-26 all-time against UT-Arlington. The Lumberjacks are 7-9 against the Mavericks in nine seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar. The series is split at five games apiece over the last 10 meetings with UTA holding a 3-2 edge in the last five games. The home team has won 11 of the last 15 regular-season meetings in the series. Before SFA knocked off the Mavericks, 71-49, at Texas Hall last season, the 'Jacks had lost nine straight regular-season road games against UTA, dating to a one-point win in the 1996-97 season. Including a win in the 2003-04 SLC Tournament, SFA is 2-6 under Kaspar against the Mavericks in Texas Hall.
The Mavericks: UT-Arlington was picked to win the SLC West Division after returning two starters and seven lettermen from last season's NCAA Tournament team. The Mavs played 10 of their 13 non-conference games away from home and posted a solid 4-6 record in such contests.
The Coaches: SFA is led by head coach Danny Kaspar. Kaspar is in his ninth season at the helm for the Lumberjacks. He holds a record of 145-100 (.592) at SFA and has a 364-152 (.705) overall record in 17-plus seasons as a collegiate head coach. Scott Cross is in his third season as the Mavericks' head coach. He has a 43-36 (.544) record.
Up Next: SFA will travel to Hammond, La., to take on Southeastern Louisiana. The game against the Lions is set for a 3 p.m. start.
NEWS AND NOTES
HISTORY: Senior forward Josh Alexander is already the career leader in points, rebounds and field goals in SFA's Division I era. He also ranks in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding on the all-time list. With his first bucket against Nicholls State, Alexander went over 1,500 for his career, making him the first player in SFA's Division I era and just the sixth Lumberjack all-time to record 1,500 points and 500 rebounds. Alexander has accumulated 1,514 points and 595 rebounds in four seasons.
BENCHED: The SFA bench outscored the Nicholls State reserves, 11-0, in the Lumberjacks' 55-40 win. The Colonels' top two scorers combined for 29 points with the other three starters accounting for 11 points, but none of the four substitutes who touched the floor found the scoring column. This marks the first time this season for SFA to hold the opposition's bench scoreless.
BETTER HALF: SFA held Texas College to 11 points in the second half of the Lumberjacks' 83-42 win. This ties for the lowest one-half point total given up to an opponent in nine seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar and is the best second-half point total allowed in that time span. The Lumberjacks also limited Nicholls State to 15 points in the first half of their 55-40 win against the Colonels. The 'Jacks have held opposing teams below 20 points in a single half 31 times under Kaspar and are 29-2 in such contests. SFA held eight opponents under 20 points in a half during the 2007-08 campaign and has done so four times this season.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Matt Kingsley scored 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in SFA's win over Nicholls State for his second consecutive double-double and the eighth of his career. He had 16 points and 11 rebounds at Central Arkansas the game before. The senior center had 23 points and pulled down 13 rebounds against North Dakota State. The 13 rebounds were a season high for Kingsley and tied the career-best he set last November.
SPRAINED ARCHES: SFA held Central Arkansas to a 1-for-11 showing from 3-point range and didn't allow the Bears to hit a 3-pointer after halftime. This marks the second time this season for the 'Jacks to hold an opponent to just one 3-pointer. SFA leads the SLC and, heading into the game against Nicholls, ranked 5th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage defense at .277.
QUADRUPLE-DOUBLE: Four different Lumberjacks reached double figures in scoring in SFA's win over Central Arkansas. That marked the seventh time this season for the Lumberjacks to accomplish that feat. SFA is a perfect 9-0 in games when at least three Lumberjacks reach double digits in scoring.
ON THE DOWN-LOW: SFA scored 34 points in the paint against Central Arkansas. The Lumberjacks are undefeated at 10-0 when they score at least 28 points in the paint. SFA is outscoring the opposition down low by an average of nine points per game.
WIDE-OPENER: SFA's 75-73 win over Sam Houston State in the Southland Conference opener marked the highest combined point total of the season for a game that ended in regulation. The 73 points allowed are the most given up by SFA outside of its 112-111 triple-overtime win against North Dakota State. The game also marked the just the second time this season for the Lumberjacks to give up 60 or more points in regulation and win. SFA had been 1-3 in such situations coming into its game against Sam.
WELL, FOR STARTERS...: Four SFA starters reached double digits in scoring, and the starting lineup accounted for all but six points in the Lumberjacks' 75-73 win over Sam Houston State. Josh Alexander played all 40 minutes -- the second time this season he's played every minute of a game -- and Nick Shaw and Eddie Williams each logged 39 minutes. The only subs to take the floor in the contest were Girod Adams, Walt Harris and Benson Akpan.
MIS-FIRE: SFA held Jarvis Christian to 22.4 percent shooting in the Lumberjacks' 69-46 win. That marks the lowest shooting percentage of the season for an SFA opponent.
EXPECT LOWS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS: Jarvis Christian's poor shooting led to another season-low for SFA opponents. Not a single Bulldogs player reached double figures in scoring, marking the first time since Dec. 21 of last season for the Lumberjacks to hold the opposition without a double-figure scorer.
BLOCK PARTY: The Lumberjacks contributed to Jarvis Christian's poor shooting by blocking a season-high 10 shots. This marks the first time in nine seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar for an SFA team to record double-digit blocked shots. Matt Kingsley posted a career-high five blocked shots, and Benson Akpan tied a season-best with three blocks.
DOUBLE-TROUBLE: SFA's 69-55 loss at Texas Tech came on the heels of a 16-point defeat at Arkansas, marking the first time since the 2004-05 season for the Lumberjacks to suffer double-digit loss margins in consecutive games. That season, SFA lost three straight games by 10 points or more, starting with a 78-64 defeat against Sam Houston State and ending with a 52-41 loss to Southeastern Louisiana.
OFF-BALANCE: Sophomore Eddie Williams scored 12 points to lead SFA in scoring against Texas Tech. This marked the second straight game and the third time this season SFA has had just one player reach double figures in scoring. All four of the Lumberjacks' losses this season have come when fewer than three players reached double digits.
STREAK: SFA's 93-54 win over Austin Peay in the first round of the Arkansas Jim Thorpe Classic took the Lumberjacks' win streak to six straight games, the longest of the season. The run began with an 83-42 verdict over Texas College on Nov. 29 and included three home wins, one true road victory and a pair of neutral-site wins.
SCORE!: The 93 points SFA put up against Austin Peay are the most scored in regulation by a Lumberjack team this season and the most points in regulation against a Division I opponent since SFA beat Centenary College, 94-57, in the 2005-06 campaign.
ALL IN: Every SFA player touched the floor in SFA's win over Austin Peay, marking the first and only time this season that all 14 players on the Lumberjack roster have entered a game.
STEADY EDDIE: Sophomore guard Eddie Williams tied his career-high with 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting against Austin Peay. This marked the second time in three games for Williams to reach 25 points and the third time this season for him to lead the team in scoring. He first eclipsed the mark in SFA's triple-overtime win against North Dakota State. Williams' 11 field goals also tied the career-high he posted against the Bison.
RANK AND FILE: SFA is ranked No. 16 in the most recent CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. SFA began the year at No. 11, the first time in the poll's 10-year history for SFA to enter the season as a ranked team and the highest entry to the poll for a Lumberjack team to date. A month ago, SFA was ranked No. 10, marking the earliest move into the top 10 for the 'Jakcs since the poll began. SFA spent a program-best 15 consecutive weeks ranked in last year's Mid-Major Top 25. The 'Jacks climbed as high as No. 6, including a first-place vote, on Feb. 25, and finished the season ranked 14th.
SCORING SPREE: The 223 combined points SFA and NDSU scored is the highest combined total in an SFA game since the Lumberjacks' 123-103 loss to San Francisco in the 1994-95 season.
HIGH POINT: The 111 points scored by North Dakota State are the most given up by a Lumberjack team in nine seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar. The previous best for an opponent during the Kaspar era was the 92 scored by Arizona State in the season opener of the 2001-02 season, Kaspar's second at SFA. The 78 points the Bison scored in regulation are the most allowed by SFA in a regular-season game since the Lumberjacks beat Northern Illinois, 86-78, in 2006-07.
WORKING OVERTIME: SFA's triple-overtime win against North Dakota State is the longest game in SFA's 23 years as a Division I program and the longest contest played by an SFA team since the Lumberjacks took a quadruple-overtime win against Southwestern, 101-99, in 1983. SFA is now 28-33, all-time, in overtime games. The Lumberjacks are 6-4 in their last 10 overtime contests.
TWENTY-SOMETHING: Josh Alexander joined Kingsley above the 20-point barrier with 24 points against NDSU. He has now registered 20 or more points 22 times in his career.
MOVIN' ON UP: In a recent five-game stretch, senior center Matt Kingsley jumped five slots on the list of career scoring leaders at SFA. He was 20th all-time heading into the Drake Hy-Vee Classic but came away from the Arkansas Jim Thorpe Classic 16th and moved into a tie for 15th with 1,151 career points following SFA's game at Texas Tech.
NO SHOT: The Lumberjacks dominated Texas College in the second half of their 83-42 victory. The Steers were just 2-for-22 from the field -- both 3-pointers -- in the final 20 minutes for a second-half shooting percentage of .091. That's the lowest single-half average of the season, and it left Texas College with a .308 shooting percentage for the game, the third time in four contests an SFA opponent had shot worse than 35 percent.
LOW POINT: In eight-plus seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar, SFA has held 31 opponents to 50 points or fewer. SFA held the competition below that level nine times in 2007-08. The previous best under Kaspar was four games in a single season with fewer than 50 points. So far this season, the Lumberjacks have held five opponents to fewer than 50 points. Four of the top eight performances for points allowed have been recorded this season.
REMEMBERING A LUMBERJACK LEGEND: In memory of Marshall Brown, who passed away over the summer, the Lumberjacks will wear a black band on their game jerseys during the 2008-09 season. Brown coached men's basketball at SFA from 1959-1978 and is the school's all-time winningest coach with 345 career victories.
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
• FOR THE RECORD: UT-Arlington comes into Wednesday's game with a 9-7 overall record and a 2-1 mark in Southland Conference play. The Mavericks are a perfect 4-0 in home games this season. Their worst stretch of the year was a five-game losing streak that included four road games and a neutral-site contest. UTA followed that skid with three straight road wins, knocking off North Texas, Utah Valley and UT-Pan American, in succession. The Mavericks have won five of their last six and two straight after dropping an 87-76 decision at Texas State to open SLC play. UTA is fresh off a 100-97, double-overtime win at UTSA on Saturday.
• LAST GAME: Junior Marquez Haynes scored 20 points to lead five Mavericks who had at least 19 points, as UTA took a 100-97, double-overtime win at UTSA on Saturday. Haynes put UTA ahead for good when he knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:31 to play. That shot gave the Mavs a 92-90 edge. Haynes would add a pair of free throws down the stretch, and Brandon Long set the final margin by sinking 1-of-2 at the stripe with 12 seconds left. UTSA's Joey Shank got a look at a 3-pointer to tie it with five seconds left, but Long pulled down the rebound to end the game. Long joined Anthony Vereen, Roge'r Guignard and Tommy Moffitt with 19 points apiece. Moffitt added 10 rebounds and teamed with Vereen to help UTA outscore the Roadrunners, 50-38, in the paint.
• LAST MEETING: UTA handed the Lumberjacks their only home loss of the 2007-08 campaign, serving a 75-65 defeat in Johnson Coliseum in the Lumberjacks' next-to-last home game of the season. The Mavericks outrebounded SFA, 37-36, tying the largest rebounding margin for an SFA opponent last year, and owned a 34-22 advantage in points in the paint. The Lumberjacks took a 33-27 lead to halftime, but UTA opened the secnd period with an 8-1 run, and SFA could not recover. Josh Alexander led SFA with 25 points.
• KEY NUMBERS: UT-Arlington ranks second in the SLC with 79.3 points per game. The Mavericks have broken 80 points six times this season, including each of the last two games. UTA ranks third in the league in field goal percentage at .474. The Mavericks stand 10th in scoring defense, allowing 74.2 points per game, and rank 11th in field goal percentage defense at .466.
• LEADERS: UTA has three players ranked among the top 10 scorers in the SLC. Anthony Vereen is fifth with 16.6 points per game, while Marquez Haynes ranks sixth with 16.1 points per night. Brandon Long's 15.3 points per contest stand eighth. Haynes has led the Mavericks in scoring in four of their last five games. Tommy Moffitt leads UTA and ranks ninth in the SLC with 6.8 rebounds per game, and Vereen is 13th with 6.3 boards per outing. Long's 2.9 3-pointers per game rank fourth in the SLC.
• Click here for complete game notes in .pdf format.
-- SFA --
