SFA Set To Host Cowboys
1/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 30, 2009
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -
ESSENTIALS
McNeese State at SFA
Saturday, January 31, 2009 • 7:15 p.m.
William R. Johnson Coliseum (7,200) • Nacogdoches, Texas
Radio: Q107.7 FM • Television: None • Internet: Yahoo! Sports
GAME INFORMATION
Hardwood Doubleheader: The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball team will host McNeese State Saturday in the second home doubleheader of the season. The men's game will follow the 5 p.m. contest between the SFA and McNeese State women with both games being broadcast on Q107.7 FM. SFA is 13-5 on the season and leads the Southland Conference East Division with a 5-1 league record. The Cowboys bring a 7-11 overall mark and a 1-4 SLC record to the game.
Last Game: SFA put together one of its best efforts of the conference season in a 73-45 dismantling of Northwestern State Wednesday. Senior center Matt Kingsley led all players with 25 points in a 12-for-15 effort from the field. He had 19 points in the first half. Kingsley's backup, Benson Akpan, went 5-for-5 from the floor and scored 12 points in just eight minutes of action. SFA outscored the Demons, 52-32, in the paint. The Lumberjacks held Northwestern to 33 percent shooting, including an 0-for-11 effort from 3-point range, and held the Demons without a double-digit scorer. Sophomore guard Eddie Williams added 11 points.
vs. McNeese State: The series between SFA and McNeese State is split evenly at 35 wins apiece. The 'Jacks are 8-7 against McNeese in nine seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar. SFA has won seven of the last 10 meetings and five straight against the Cowboys. Under Kaspar, the Lumberjacks are 6-2 in home games against McNeese, including six straight home wins. The last Cowboys win in Nacogdoches came in the 2001-02 season, Kaspar's second at SFA.
The Cowboys: McNeese State has lost three straight games and eight of its last 10. The Cowboys are 1-8 on the road. McNeese has struggled offensively, scoring just 62.7 points per game, but the Cowboys are among the top defensive teams in the SLC.
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 147-101 (.593) at SFA and has a 366-153 (.705) overall record in 17-plus seasons as a collegiate head coach. Dave Simmons is 35-44 in his third season with the Cowboys.
Up Next: SFA begins the second round of SLC East competition with a road trip to Thibodaux, La., to take on Nicholls State. The game against the Colonels is set for Wednesday with a 6:30 p.m. start. The Lumberjacks will then host Lamar on Saturday, Feb. 7.
NEWS AND NOTES
CROWN A NEW KING: For the second time this season, senior Matt Kingsley has taken over the team scoring lead, unseating teammate Josh Alexander, who has finished as SFA's top scorer and rebounder each of the last three seasons. The 25 points Kingsley scored against Northwestern State moved him into the team lead and seventh place in the Southland Conference with 14.9 points per game. Alexander is close behind at 14.8 points per contest. Kingsley also leads the team and ranks 14th in the SLC with 6.4 rebounds per game.
THREE OF A KIND BEATS A FULL HOUSE?: The Lumberjacks' top three individual scorers -- Matt Kingsley, 25; Benson Akpan, 12; Eddie Williams, 11 -- in SFA's 73-45 win over Northwestern State combined to outscore the Demons, 48-45, on their own. This marks the sixth time this season and the second time in SLC play that SFA's top three scorers tied or beat the opponent's final score.
EXPECT LOWS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS: SFA held Northwestern State without a double-digit scorer in the Lumberjacks' 73-45 win, marking the second time this season SFA has posted such a performance. The 'Jacks also held Jarvis Christian without a double-figure scorer.
ON THE DOWN-LOW: SFA scored a season-high 52 points in the paint against Northwestern State. The Lumberjacks are 11-1 when they score at least 28 points in the paint. SFA is outscoring the opposition down low by an average of 9.2 points per game.
SPRAINED ARCHES: SFA held Northwestern State to an 0-for-11 showing from 3-point range. That marks the first time this season for the 'Jacks to hold the opposition without a 3-point field goal. The last time an SFA foe came up empty from 3-point range was the 0-for-4 performance by San Diego last season. The 'Jacks have limited two opponents to one 3-pointer this season. SFA is first in the SLC and ranks 6th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage defense at 28.5.
ALL IN: All 15 SFA players touched the floor in SFA's win over Northwestern State, marking the second time this season that every Lumberjack in uniform has seen playing time. The first came in SFA's win over Austin Peay.
ZERO FOR ZERO: Senior Josh Alexander (jersey number 0) experienced a rare cold shooting night in SFA's 73-45 win over Northwestern State. For just the second time in 106 games over his four-year career, Alexander went without a field goal, finishing 0-for-7 from the floor and 0-for-6 from 3-point range. Three free throws early in the game kept him from going scoreless for the first time in his career. His three points tied for the third-fewest he's ever scored in an SFA uniform and marked just the sixth time in his career for him to score fewer than five points.
FO' SHAW: Senior forward Nick Shaw is emerging as a key contributor as SFA nears the stretch run. Last season, the Arlington, Texas, native saw his averages in both scoring and rebounding dip as the 'Jacks moved from non-conference to SLC play. This year, however, Shaw has gone from averaging 4.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game against non-conference foes to 8.8 points and 6.7 boards per contest in six league match-ups. Shaw has reached double figures in scoring in three of the last five games and has posted eight or more rebounds in three of SFA's last five games.
ASKING FOR SECONDS: SFA pulled down 13 offensive rebounds in its 60-49 win at Southeastern Louisiana and outscored the Lions, 15-9, in second-chance points. Southeastern managed just five offensive boards, tying for the fewest given up by SFA this season. For the season, SFA holds a 198-176 edge over its opponents in offensive rebounding.
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 1,542 points and 612 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, then held Southeastern Louisiana to just 18 points in a 60-49 win at the Lions. Northwestern State managed just 19 points in SFA's 73-45 win over the Demons. The 'Jacks have held opposing teams below 20 points in a single half 33 times under Kaspar and are 31-2 in such contests. SFA held eight opponents under 20 points in a half during the 2007-08 campaign and has done so six 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.
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 11-1 in games when at least three Lumberjacks reach double digits in scoring.
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.
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.
SCORE!: The 93 points SFA put up in its 93-54 win over 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.
RANK AND FILE: SFA is ranked No. 14 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.
MOVIN' ON UP: In a five-game stretch earlier this season, 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 33 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 seven opponents to fewer than 50 points. Four of the top eight performances for points allowed have been recorded this season.
SAFE AT HOME: In nine seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar, the Lumberjacks have compiled a 96-27 (.780) record in the William R. Johnson Coliseum. SFA is 292-118 (.712) all-time in the Coliseum. SFA defeated Howard Payne, 77-38, in the season opener. Kaspar's teams are 9-0 in home openers at SFA.
REMEMBERING A LUMBERJACK LEGEND: In memory of Marshall Brown, who passed away over the summer, the Lumberjacks will wear a black band on the left shoulder of 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Longest Games In SFA History
Year Opponent OT Result
1982-83 at Southwestern 4 W, 101-99
2008-09 vs. North Dakota State 3 W, 112-111
1937-38 North Texas 2 L, 40-36
1958-59 Northwestern State 2 L, 72-66
1976-77 Texas Wesleyan 2 L, 107-101
1979-80 at Sam Houston State 2 L, 57-56
1998-99 UT-Arlington 2 L, 85-83
SCOUTING THE COWBOYS
FOR THE RECORD: McNeese State opened the season by winning five of its first eight games, including a three-game winning streak that ended with a 61-44 pasting of Louisiana Tech on Dec. 15. The Cowboys followed that victory with a four-game slide and have won just twice since knocking off the Techsters. McNeese has lost three straight since its 75-63 win over Lamar. The Cowboys are 7-11 overall and 1-4 in Southland Conference play. Six of McNeese's seven wins have come at home, and the Cowboys are just 1-8 on the road.
LAST GAME: McNeese State posted 20 turnovers and didn't have a single player reach double figures in scoring Wednesday, as Nicholls State took a 56-45 win over the Cowboys in Lake Charles. McNeese went just 1-for-7 from 3-point range, and the Colonels held a 32-20 edge in scoring from the paint. The Cowboys went 15-for-19 at the foul line in the second period and 20-of-27 for the game. John Pichon tied Patrick Richard and Elbryan Neal for team-high honors with seven points. Fred Hunter scored 23 points and ripped off five steals to lead the Colonels.
LAST MEETING: The Lumberjacks opened the game with an 8-0 run and never looked back on the way to a 64-39 home win over McNeese State last season. The Cowboys' 39 points tied for the second-fewest allowed all season, and McNeese shot just 29.8 percent for the game. SFA forced 19 turnovers and outscored the Cowboys, 21-2, in points off turnovers. Josh Alexander went 3-for-7 from 3-point range for a game-high 19 points, and Matt Kingsley added 13 points and seven rebounds. McNeese's John Pichon scored 13 points but was the only Cowboy to reach double digits.
KEY NUMBERS: The Cowboys rank third in the Southland Conference in scoring defense, allowing 61.5 points per game. They've battled with SFA all season for the top spot in field goal percentage defense and currently stand second at .379. The Cowboys' plus-5.8 margin in rebounding leads the league, and they rank second in the SLC with 5.7 blocked shots per game. But McNeese ranks last in the conference in scoring offense with 62.7 points per game.
LEADERS: Junior guard Diego Kapelan leads the Cowboys with 11.1 points per game but is the only player averaging double figures. Forwards P.J. Alawoya (8.6 rpg) and John Pichon (6.8 rpg) rank third and ninth, respectively, in the league in rebounding, making McNeese one of only two teams in the SLC with two players in the top 10 in that category. Kapelan ranks eighth in the Southland with 2.3 3-point field goals per game. Senior center Kleon Penn leads the SLC with 3.6 blocked shots per game.
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-- SFA --
