Stephen F. Austin
Northwestern St.
SFA Snuffs Out Demons' Fire
1/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2009
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin went on an 18-2 second-half run and outscored Northwestern State, 38-19, after halftime to take a 73-45 win over the Demons Wednesday in William R. Johnson Coliseum. The win is SFA's second straight and marks the third time in four games for the Lumberjacks to hold their opponent to fewer than 50 points.
At the other end of the floor, SFA's centers provided the offensive punch, as seniors Matt Kingsley and Benson Akpan combined for 37 points on a night when the `Jacks outscored their opposition, 52-32, in the paint.
With the win, SFA moves to 13-5 on the season and stays on top in the Southland Conference East Division with a 5-1 league mark. Northwestern State falls to 8-12 overall and 0-5 in SLC play, as the Demons extended their losing streak to eight games.
SFA went to the locker room with a 35-26 lead after holding the Demons to 41 percent shooting in the opening period. Kingsley had 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting at the break, and the Lumberjacks had outscored Northwestern, 10-4, in points off turnovers, after forcing 10 Demon miscues in the half.
Northwestern cut the lead to seven twice in the early minutes of the second half and trailed by that margin again with 15:33 to play after Damon Jones connected on a layup. But Kingsley kept SFA's ensuing possession alive with an offensive rebound, then converted a layup to give the Lumberjacks a nine-point cushion and kick-start the run that broke Northwestern's back.
The Demons answered a Nick Shaw layup with one of their own at the 13:07 mark to make it a nine-point game, but would not connect on another field goal until Dominic Knight hit a jumper in the lane with 41 seconds remaining. Aside from that bucket, the only Northwestern points over the final 13 minutes of the game came at the foul line.
The Lumberjacks, meanwhile, scored on nine of their next 11 possessions, with Akpan pouring in eight of his 12 points during the run. Along the way, SFA had four offensive boards and got points on three of those extended possessions. Kingsley punctuated the run when he gave SFA a 25-point lead at the 6:29 mark on his 25 point of the night.
A fast-break dunk by 5-10 point guard Girod Adams off a steal and feed by Zach Williams pushed the advantage to 30 (71-41) with 2:21 left. After Knight's jumper with 41 seconds left, sophomore Austin Falke stuck a jump shot off an assist by Jereal Scott with 13 seconds left to set the final margin.
Kingsley finished 12-of-15 from the floor and led the team with seven rebounds. Senior Nick Shaw added five boards and six points. Williams had four assists, two blocked shots and two steals to go along with his 11 points and three rebounds. Akpan was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field to get his 12 points in just eight minutes of action. Junior point guard Eric Bell didn't take a shot but dished out five assists against just one turnover and ripped off three steals.
Adams, junior Walt Harris and Scott each scored four points, while senior Josh Alexander had three. Freshman Zach Williams added two, along with two assists and a pair of steals.
The Lumberjacks held Northwestern to 25 percent shooting in the second period and 33 percent for the game, the seventh time this year SFA has held its foe below 35 percent. The Demons were 0-for-11 from 3-point range, marking the first time all season for the Lumberjacks to hold an opponent without a 3-point basket. Northwestern finished with 19 turnovers.
SFA pulled down 14 offensive rebounds and finished with a 20-16 edge in second-chance points and a 40-37 advantage on the boards, overall. The Lumberjacks shot 48.5 percent for the game, despite a 1-for-14 effort from 3-point range.
Not a single Demon reached double figures in scoring, the second time this season the Lumberjacks have held the opposition without a 10-point scorer. In addition, the 19 second-half points Northwestern put up mark the sixth time this season - and the third time in four games - for SFA to hold an opponent to fewer than 20 points in a half.
The Lumberjacks will be back in action Saturday, when they host McNeese State. The game against the Cowboys is scheduled to tip off at 7:15 p.m., following the women's game, which is slated to start at 5. At halftime of the Ladyjack game, last season's Southland Conference title team will be honored during a ceremony to unveil the championship banner.
-- SFA --
