SFA To Take On McNeese State
2/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 13, 2009
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -
ESSENTIALS
SFA at McNeese State
Saturday, February 14, 2009 • 4:00 p.m.
Burton Coliseum (8,000) • Lake Charles, La.
Radio: Q107.7 FM • Television: None • Internet: Yahoo! Sports
GAME INFORMATION
Battle at Burton: The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball team will head to Lake Charles, La., Saturday for a showdown with McNeese State at Burton Coliseum. SFA comes into the game as the Southland Conference East Division leader with an 8-2 conference record. The Lumberjacks' 16-6 overall mark is tops in the SLC. McNeese State is 9-13 on the year and tied for third in the SLC East with a 3-6 league mark. Saturday's game will be the second in a double-header with the women's teams. The Ladyjacks will take on McNeese State at 2 p.m.
Last Game: For just the second time this season, SFA shot worse than 40 percent and still managed to win, holding off Northwestern State for a 59-51 road win on Wednesday. Josh Alexander scored a game-high 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for his ninth career double-double. Matt Kingsley and Nick Shaw joined him in double digits in rebounding with 10 boards apiece, marking the first time in nine seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar for three Lumberjacks to record double-figure rebounds in a single game. Kalem Porterie came off the bench to lead Northwestern State with 12 points. He added 13 rebounds. SFA shot just 35.7 percent from the field but held the Demons to 34-percent shooting -- 14.3 percent from 3-point range -- and forced Northwestern into 21 turnovers.
vs. McNeese State: SFA is 36-35 all-time against the Cowboys. The Lumberjacks hold a 9-7 advantage over McNeese in nine seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar, but SFA is just 2-5 against the Cowboys in Lake Charles during that period. The Lumberjacks have won eight of the last 10 meetings and six straight in the series, including the last two trips to Lake Charles. The last McNeese win in the series came in the 2004-05 season, when the Cowboys took a 56-43 verdict in Lake Charles.
The Cowboys: McNeese State opened Southland play by losing five of its first six games, but the Cowboys have rebounded nicely to take two of their last three and move into third place in the SLC East. McNeese is coming off a 78-59 loss at UT-Arlington, but the Cowboys are 8-3 in home games this season.
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 150-102 (.595) at SFA and has a 369-154 (.706) overall record in 17-plus seasons as a collegiate head coach. McNeese head coach Dave Simmons is 37-46 (.446) in three seasons with the Cowboys.
Up Next: After a mid-week bye, SFA will begin the final five-game stretch of the season with two straight home contests. The Lumberjacks will host Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 21, then Texas State on Feb. 25, before traveling to take on SLC West-leading Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 28.
NEWS AND NOTES
TRIPLE-DOUBLE: For the first time in nine seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar, three Lumberjacks pulled down double-figure rebounds. Matt Kingsley, Josh Alexander and Nick Shaw grabbed 10 boards apiece in SFA's 59-51 win at Northwestern State, as the Lumberjacks out-rebounded the Demons, 39-37.
TWENTY-SOMETHING: Josh Alexander scored a game-high 21 points at Northwestern State. He came into the game having averaged 6.5 points per game in the four previous contests. That included a string of three straight games without reaching double digits in scoring, matching the longest such run of his career. Alexander's last 20-point effort had come Dec. 12, when he dropped a season-high 24 against North Dakota State in a triple-overtime win. The 14 games between that performance and his 21-point effort at Northwestern State were one game short of tying for the longest such streak of his career, when he went 15 games between 20-point outings as a sophomore.
SHOOTING STRUGGLES: SFA shot just 35.7 percent from the field in its 59-51 win at Northwestern State. That marked just the seventh time this season for the Lumberjacks to shoot worse than 40 percent and only the second time of the year they've done so in a winning effort. The only other win SFA has recorded when shooting worse than 40 percent was the 43-41 verdict the 'Jacks collected against McNeese State when they shot 30.2 percent.
TEN BELOW: In all 10 Southland Conference games to date, SFA has held its opposition below its season average for field goal percentage. Seven of those 10 foes have been squeezed to worse than 40-percent shooting. The 37.0 percent SFA opponents are shooting this season in conference play leads the league. Overall, the Lumberjacks pace the SLC and rank fifth in the nation in field goal percentage defense at 37.2.
DOUBLING UP: Coming into SFA's game with Nicholls State on Jan. 17, Matt Kingsley had posted seven career double-doubles, but had never recorded double-doubles in consecutive games. He rectified that with 18 points and 11 rebounds against the Colonels to follow a 16-point, 11-rebound outing at Central Arkansas the game before. Three weeks later, Kingsley repeated the back-to-back double-double feat with 12 points and 11 boards against McNeese State, followed by 17 points and 11 rebounds in the rematch with Nicholls State. Kingsley now has 10 career double-double performances.
HIGH-LOW: December's 112-111 triple-overtime win against North Dakota State marked the most combined points (223) in a Lumberjack game in nine seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar. In January, SFA and McNeese combined for the fewest points in a game under Kaspar, as the Lumberjacks took a 43-41 win. SFA has played in 14 games over the last nine seasons that had a combined point total of fewer than 100 points. The 84 points against McNeese are the lowest combined total since SFA took a 43-40 win over Angelo State in the 1982 Lone Star Conference Tournament. The Lumberjack head coach in that game was Harry Miller, one of Kaspar's mentors in the coaching world.
CUTTIN' IT CLOSE: SFA's 43-41 win over McNeese State was just the fifth game this season with a final margin of two points or fewer. Only seven of the Lumberjacks' games this year have been decided by fewer than 10 points. SFA is 4-1 this season in games decided by two points or fewer. Last season, only two games had margins of two points or fewer, and SFA lost both contests.
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.
HIGHS 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 12-1 when they score at least 28 points in the paint. SFA is outscoring the opposition down low by an average of 8.2 points per game.
SPRAINED ARCHES: SFA held Northwestern State to an 0-for-11 showing from 3-point range in their first meeting this year. 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 7th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage defense at 29.1.
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.
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 225-205 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 1,586 points and 639 rebounds in four seasons.
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 `Jacks have held opposing teams below 20 points in a single half 34 times under Kaspar and are 32-2 in such contests. SFA held eight opponents under 20 points in a half during the 2007-08 campaign and has done so seventimes this season.
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.
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.
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. 21 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. In December, 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.
LOW POINT: In eight-plus seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar, SFA has held 34 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 eight opponents to fewer than 50 points. Five of the top nine performances for points allowed have been recorded this season.
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.
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.
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.
SAFE AT HOME: In nine seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar, the Lumberjacks have compiled a 98-27 (.784) record in the William R. Johnson Coliseum. SFA is 294-118 (.714) 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.
SCOUTING THE COWBOYS
FOR THE RECORD: McNeese State brings a 9-13 overall record and a 3-6 mark in Southland Conference play to Saturday's game. After winning just one of their first six SLC games, the Cowboys have taken two of their last three contests. McNeese is coming off a 78-59 loss at UT-Arlington, but the Cowboys preceded that defeat with back-to-back home wins against Northwestern State and Texas State. McNeese broke 80 points in both wins after averaging just 47.25 points per game in the four previous games -- all losses.
LAST GAME: McNeese State shot 31.9 percent Wednesday in a 78-59 loss at UT-Arlington. The Cowboys launched a season-high 30 3-point attempts in the game, connecting on just five of them (16.7 percent). Coming into Wednesday's game, the most 3-pointers McNeese had attempted was 21. Meanwhile, the Mavericks shot 53.4 percent from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range. Forwards Tommy Moffitt and Anthony Vereen scored 21 points apiece, as UTA outscored McNeese, 30-28, in the paint. P.J. Alawoya scored 13 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the Cowboys. Elbryan Neal came off the bench for 11 points, and the McNeese reserves outscored the UTA bench, 25-0.
LAST MEETING: SFA held off McNeese State for a 43-41 verdict in the Lumberjacks' ugliest win of the season. SFA outscored the Cowboys by a single point in each half to take home the win. The Lumberjacks shot 30.2 percent from the field, the lowest percentage they've recorded in a winning effort this season. Fortunately, the Cowboys were only slightly better at 31.9 percent. Matt Kingsley posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Girod Adams scored seven of his nine points in the final five minutes to help hold off McNeese. Josh Alexander added eight points and 11 boards. Patrick Richard scored 12 points to lead McNeese, and Kleon Penn had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
KEY NUMBERS: McNeese is among the top defensive teams in the Southland. The Cowboys' 62.8 points allowed per game ranks third, and the .382 McNeese opponents are shooting from the floor stands second in the SLC. But the Cowboys rank 11th in scoring offense, putting up 63.4 points per contest, and their .421 shooting percentage is 10th in the league. McNeese leads the SLC with a plus-4.6 rebounding margin and ranks first in the conference with 6.0 blocked shots per outing. The Cowboys' minus-3.5 turnover margin is last in the SLC.
LEADERS: Junior guard Diego Kapelan leads the Cowboys and is the only McNeese player among the top 25 scorers in the SLC, averaging 11.0 points per game, which ranks 25th in the league. Sophomore forward P.J. Alawoya is No. 4 in the SLC in rebounding with 8.1 boards per contest, and senior forward John Pichon ranks 12 with 6.5 rebounds per game. Senior center Kleon Penn leads the Southland with 3.7 blocked shots per game.
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-- SFA --
