GAME NOTES: UTSA
2/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2011
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
VITALS
UTSA at Stephen F. Austin
Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011 • 6:00 p.m. (CST)
Johnson Coliseum (7,200) • Nacogdoches, Texas
Radio: KTBQ 107.7 FM • TV: None • Online: SFA All-Access
Lumberjacks
Record: 14-7 (5-4)
Last 5/Streak: 3-2/W-2
Coach: Danny Kaspar
Career: 414-172
At SFA: 195-120
SID: Brian Ross
E-mail: rossbrian@sfasu.edu
Web: sfajacks.com
Roadrunners
Record: 12-10 (5-4)
Last 5/Streak: 3-2/L-1
Coach: Brooks Thompson
Career: 125-87
At UTSA: 70-73
SID: Kyle Stephens
E-mail: kyle.stephens@utsa.edu
Web: goutsa.com
GAME INFORMATION
NO REST IN THE WEST: After picking up two straight wins over teams from the Southland East Division to get back on track, the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball team returns home to open a stretch of three consecutive games against West Division foes, starting Saturday with UTSA. The Lumberjacks are 14-7 on the year and part of a four-team logjam in second place in the Southland West with a 5-4 league record. UTSA is also 5-4 in league play and comes in with a 12-10 overall record.
LAST GAME: Jereal Scott scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead SFA to a 64-57 road win over Nicholls Wednesday. It marked the Lumberjacks' first victory in Thibodaux, La., since the 2004-05 season. Antonio Bostic continued his hot streak with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, and Amos Olatayo provided a spark off the bench with 10 points in 14 minutes. The Colonels connected on 11 3-pointers, a season-high for SFA opponents, but the 'Jacks finished with a 28-12 edge in the paint and outrebounded Nicholls, 45-17. Anatoly Bose scored 26 to lead the Colonels.
THE ROADRUNNERS: UTSA opened Southland play by losing two of its first three league games, including a 68-59 decision against SFA. Since then, though, the Roadrunners have gone 5-2. UTSA is 2-2 in Southland road games and 4-7 on the road overall this season. The 'Runners have lost two straight away from home, falling at Sam Houston State and, most recently, at Southeastern Louisiana. UTSA has three players among the Southland's top 15 in scoring: Devin Gibson is fifth with 16.2 points per game, Melvin Johnson III ranks 10th (14.2 ppg) and Jeromie Hill is 13th (13.3 ppg). Gibson leads the Southland with 5.5 assists per contest.
vs. UTSA: SFA is 15-23, all-time, against the Roadrunners, but the Lumberjacks have won six of the last seven clashes. UTSA broke a five-game win streak by knocking off SFA at home in the regular-season finale last year, but the 'Jacks returned the favor with a 68-59 verdict in San Antonio last month. SFA is 10-10 against UTSA in 11 seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar. The 'Jacks are 4-4 at home against the Roadrunners during his tenure.
COVERAGE: Saturday's game will be broadcast live on KTBQ 107.7 FM. Rob Meyers has the call. The game will be streamed live online via SFA All-Access. Live stats will be provided via GameTracker at SFAJacks.com.
UP NEXT: SFA will try to avenge a pair of Southland losses next week. The 'Jacks travel to take on UT Arlington Wednesday, then return home to host Texas State. The game against the Mavericks is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip from Texas Hall.
NEWS AND NOTES
ROAD TESTED: SFA's win at Nicholls broke a streak of four straight losses in Thibodaux. Earlier this season, the 'Jacks topped Sam Houston in Huntsville, ending a five-game road losing streak against the Bearkats. Those were the longest active road losing streaks for SFA against Southland opponents.
CENTRAL TO THE WIN: Center Jereal Scott scored 20 points with 10 rebounds in SFA's win at Nicholls. That marked the fourth 20-point game of Scott's career and his fifth double-double.
THREE-FOR-ALL: Nicholls made 11 of its 29 3-point attempts in SFA's 64-57 win. The last time a Lumberjack opponent made more than 10 threes in an SFA win was 2002-03, when McNeese State went 11-of-20 in a 79-69 Lumberjack victory. That same season, Jackson State hit 13 of 40 attempts in a 103-79 verdict, and the 'Jacks topped Oral Roberts, 71-68, despite an 11-for-20 effort by the Golden Eagles.
COMEBACK: SFA trailed by eight early in the second half against McNeese State before coming back to win. That's the second-largest deficit the Lumberjacks have overcome this season. SFA was down by nine against UTSA before coming back to win.
BENCHED: SFA and McNeese State combined for just seven points off the bench -- six for the Lumberjacks and one for the Cowboys. That's the lowest combined total for bench scoring in a game this season. Earlier this season, the SFA bench outscored ULM's reserves, 17-0.
SECOND-HALF SHOOTING: In its wins over UTSA and McNeese State, SFA was down at the half. But the 'Jacks upped their shooting percentage by more than 20 percent in the second period of each half. SFA went from shooting 34.8 percent before halftime against the Roadrunners to 57.7 percent in the second period. Against the Cowboys, SFA opened the game with a 40.9-percent effort and raised its shooting to 63 percent in the second half. That marks just three times this year and seven in the last four seasons for the 'Jacks to up their shooting by 20-plus percentage points between halves.
BACK-TO-BACK LOSSES: SFA dropped consecutive games for the first time this season, losing at home to A&M-Corpus Christi, then on the road against Texas State. The 'Jacks didn't lose two in a row last season and have only lost consecutive contests four times in the last four campaigns. The last time SFA lost more than two in a row was 2006-07, when the 'Jacks dropped three straight to end the regular season then lost in the first round of the Southland Tournament.
WASTED EFFORT: SFA shot 49 percent in its loss at Texas State. That mark stands as the third-best effort in a road game this season and is the Lumberjacks' best shooting percentage in a loss this year. The last time SFA shot better than 49 percent in a loss was the 2009-10 regular-season finale, when the 'Jacks shot 51 percent in a two-point defeat against UTSA.
THIN AT THE LINE: SFA was 0-for-2 at the free throw line after halftime in the loss at Texas State. That's the fewest second-half foul shots the Lumberjacks have attempted this season. SFA was 9-of-11 for the game.
HOMEWRECKERS: SFA won its first nine home games of the year before dropping a 62-52 decision at home against UT Arlington. The 'Jacks dropped their next home game as well, a 46-45 loss to A&M-Corpus Christi. That marked the first time since 2006-07 for SFA to lose consecutive home games. That year, SFA lost to A&M-Corpus then dropped a home game against Northwestern State. The 'Jacks have lost consecutive home games only seven times in 11 seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar.
LOW-BALLED: The 46 points A&M-Corpus Christi put up in its win over SFA tied for the fewest points by a Lumberjack opponent in an SFA loss over the last 11 seasons. In 11 years under Danny Kaspar, the 'Jacks have held the opposition below 50 points and lost only five times.
CORPUS CONNECTED: In SFA's loss to A&M-Corpus Christi, the Islanders shot .556 from the field. That's the best shooting percentage by a Lumberjack opponent this season and the second-best effort in Johnson Coliseum by a visiting team in the last four years. Jackson State shot .595 in a home win for SFA last season. Only five opponents have shot better than 50 percent in the Coliseum over the last four seasons. SFA is 3-2 in those games.
STRAIGHT SHOOTING: SFA posted its best shooting effort of the season in its win at Sam Houston State. The 'Jacks hit 59.5 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point range and 81.8 percent at the foul line. That marks the second time this season for SFA to shoot at least 50 percent from the field and 3-point range and beat 80 percent at the stripe. The Sam Houston win marked SFA's best shooting night since a Nov. 23, 2004 game against Concordia-Austin when the 'Jacks hit 60 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point range and 83.3 percent at the line.
PERIMETER GAME: Darius Gardner scored 15 points, and Antonio Bostic and Eddie Williams added 13 points each in SFA's win at Sam Houston State. That marks the only time this season for three perimeter players to reach double figures scoring in the same contest.
GARDNER GROWING: Darius Gardner struggled in his first two games after injury thrust him into the starting point guard's role. In consecutive starts against UTSA and UT Arlington, the freshman had a total of two points and five assists. But he exploded for career-highs in points (15) and assists (7) in SFA's key win at Sam Houston State.
MR. BOOM-BOSTIC: Sophomore guard Antonio Bostic averaged four points in 13 minutes per game through the first 13 contests of the year. Since joining the starting lineup six games ago, though, he's put up 9.9 points per game, including a career-high 16 in SFA's win over McNeese State.
BREAKING OUT IN HUNTSVILLE: SFA's win at Sam Houston State was the program's first in Huntsville since the 2003-04 season. The 63 points the 'Jacks put up are the second-most recorded in a regular-season game in Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum, and the 14-point margin of victory is the second-largest regular-season spread against the 'Kats for an SFA team in 11 seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar.
INSIDE-OUT: UT Arlington became just the fourth team this season to outscore SFA in the paint, besting the Lumberjacks, 18-16, down low. Additionally, the Mavericks hit eight 3-pointers, tying with Texas A&M for the most by an SFA opponent this season.
SHUFFLING THE DECK: SFA used the same starting lineup through the first eight games of the season and went 6-2 in that stretch. Since then, though, injuries have forced the 'Jacks to use seven different lineups, and SFA is 8-5 over that span.
CAREER NIGHT: A pair of first-year players posted career highs in SFA's win at UTSA. Freshman Desmond Haymon put up 15 points and five rebounds, eclipsing both of his previous best marks. Junior transfer Dion Prewster added 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, both career highs.
SCORING BINGE: Prewster's scoring performance is even more impressive considering that all 13 points came in an eight-and-a-half-minute stretch at the end of the second half. He was scoreless in the game until a pair of free throws at the 10:02 mark. Prewster put the finishing touches on his 13-point outburst with a 3-pointer with 1:30 to play.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior forward Jordan Glynn posted double-doubles in consecutive games against Central Arkansas and UTSA to earn the first Southland Conference Player of the Week honor of his career. Glynn averaged 19 points and 13 rebounds in the two games.
DIVIDE AND CONQUER: Since the Southland Conference began divisional play in 2006-07, SFA has won three of a possible four division championships. The 'Jacks won the Southland West in 2008 and won the East Division title in 2009 and 2010.
BEAST AGAINST THE EAST: In four-plus years of divisional play in the Southland Conference, SFA has only lost one home game to a team from the Southland East Division. That was a 67-57 decision against Northwestern State in 2006-07, the first year of divisional action. Since then, the 'Jacks are a perfect 14-0 at home against the East, 17-1 at home against the East, and have a 29-7 overall mark against teams in that division.
SCORING SPIKE: The 63 points Central Arkansas scored are the second-most allowed by SFA in a win this season. The only team to better that score in a Lumberjack victory is ULM. SFA beat the Warhawks, 65-64, on a last-second 3-pointer by Zac Downing.
COLD SHOOTING: SFA shot a season-worst 35.2 percent from the field in its Southland-opening loss at Southeastern Louisiana. The SFA backcourt combined to go 9-for-29 from the floor in that game. The Lumberjacks have shot worse than 40 percent only five times this season, all in losses.
PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES: The most distinct statistical difference between SFA's 14 wins and seven losses is shooting percentage. The 'Jacks have shot 50 percent in games won but just 38.9 percent in their defeats. At the other end of the floor, the opposition has shot 36.2 percent in SFA wins but 48.2 percent in the seven Lumberjack losses.
BOUNCING BACK: SFA is 6-1 this season in games following a loss. Over the last three seasons, the 'Jacks are 18-0 in home games following defeats. The last time SFA dropped two straight games with the second loss coming at home was the 2006-07 season, when the 'Jacks fell at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, then lost at home to UTSA in the regular-season finale.
SOUTHLAND OPENERS: In 11 seasons under Danny Kaspar, SFA is 5-6 in Southland Conference openers. The 'Jacks have dropped three of their last four league-opening games and have lost five straight times when opening Southland play on the road. SFA is 2-5 under Kaspar in Southland openers away from home. The last time a Lumberjack team won a league-opening road game was a 2002-03 verdict at former Southland member ULM.
FAST START: With its win against Wiley College, SFA tied the 2003-04 season for the third-best pre-conference win total in the program's history at the Division I level. The only times the 'Jacks have won more than nine games before conference were last season (10-3) and 2007-08 (12-1).
PUTTING TWO HALVES TOGETHER: In its home game against the Warhawks, SFA held ULM to 19 points in the first half and 17 points in the second period. Coming into the game with the Warhawks, the Lumberjacks had held the opposition to fewer than 20 points in a half on three occasions this season, but had not yet done so in both halves of the same game. That marks the only time in the last four seasons for an SFA foe to score fewer than 20 in both halves of a single game.
HOME DEFENSE: SFA has held its opponents to 50 points or fewer in nine of 12 games at home this season. The Lumberjacks are allowing just 48.3 points per game at home for the year.
DEFENSE FIRST: The Lumberjacks lead the nation in scoring defense. At 53.9 points per game, SFA is the only team in the country holding the opposition to fewer than 56 per night. SFA has finished the year ranked among the top 10 in scoring defense in each of the last three seasons, including No. 2 rankings in 2008 and 2009. The best defensive season by a Lumberjack team in the Division I era was 2008-09, when SFA held the opposition to 56.1 points per game.
DEFENDING THE THREE: The 'Jacks have held the opposition to two or fewer 3-pointers on six occasions this season and are sixth in the nation in defending the three, holding opponents to 28.5 percent from beyond the arc.
THREE BELOW: SFA held three straight opponents -- Grambling State, Chicago State and Jarvis Christian -- to fewer than 50 points. The only other time that's been done in the program's 25-year history at the NCAA Division I level is 2008-09, when the 'Jacks accomplished the feat against Southeastern Louisiana, Northwestern State and McNeese State in succession. In all, such a streak has only been put together two other times in the last 50 years -- 1985-86 and 1981-82.
THE LONELIEST NUMBER: Jordan Glynn's 15 points marked SFA's only double-figure scorer in the win against Jarvis Christian. The last time the Lumberjacks put just one player in double digits and won was a 68-67 overtime verdict against Nicholls last February, when Walt Harris scored 22 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer. SFA is 5-7 over the last four seasons when only one Lumberjack reaches double figures.
GOOD BACKUP PLAN: The SFA bench has accounted for 35 percent of the Lumberjacks' scoring this season. The 'Jacks have outscored their opponents' benches by an average of 8.3 points per game this season.
TWO MUCH DEFENSE: SFA held its two opponents in the Etech Lumberjack Classic to a combined total of 79 points. Grambling scored 41 and Chicago State put up 38. That's the lowest combined two-game total for a pair of SFA opponents since the 1981-82 season when SFA held East Texas State and Southwest Texas State to 44 and 35 points, respectively, in back-to-back games.
TWO LITTLE: In SFA's nine-point loss at Texas A&M, Denzel Barnes and Jordan Glynn were the only two players to reach double figures in scoring. They combined to score 34 points, or 64 percent of SFA's total of 53 points. Eighteen of the Lumberjacks' 29 losses over the last four seasons have come in games with fewer than three double-figure scorers. SFA is 23-18, overall, in such games, dating to the 2007-08 season.
HALFWAY THERE: In four of its seven losses this season, SFA held the lead at halftime. The Lumberjacks led Texas Tech by one at the break, had a three-point lead on Texas A&M, led A&M-Corpus Christi by five and were up one at Texas State. SFA was 19-1 last year when leading at the half. The 'Jacks have led at the break in all but five of their games this season and have an 11-4 record in those contests.
ON THE DOWN-LOW: Forty-three percent of the Lumberjacks' production this season has come from the paint.
POINTS IN THE PAINT: SFA outscored Science and Arts of Oklahoma, 52-14, in the paint. That's the most points down low the Lumberjacks have scored this season and marks just the fifth time in the last four seasons for SFA to break 50. The most post scoring SFA has put up during that stretch was 60 against East Central (Oklahoma) last season.
SECOND CHANCES: SFA averages 13.4 offensive rebounds per game, and the Lumberjacks are making the most of those second chances. SFA has been outscored in second-chance points only twice this season and more than a fifth of SFA's offensive production has come via second-chance points.
ON THE REBOUND: SFA was beaten in rebounding, 34-19, in its win at ULM. It marked the first time this season for the Lumberjacks to be outrebounded and is the largest margin in an opponent's favor since Syracuse beat SFA on the boards, 55-34, in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. The Lumberjacks won just four times last season in games when they were outrebounded. They are 1-2 in such contests this year.
DOWN(ING) TO THE WIRE: SFA defeated ULM, 65-64, on a 3-pointer by Zac Downing with three seconds left. SFA is 1-1 this season in games decided by three points or fewer, and the 'Jacks are 12-10 in such games over the last four years.
HOME NON-CONFERENCE: With an 8-0 pre-conference record at home, SFA has now won 28 of its last 29 home, non-conference games, dating to the 2006-07 season. The only loss during that stretch is a two-point defeat against Texas Tech last season. The Lumberjacks are 57-4, overall, in home, non-conference games in 11 seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar.
HIGH-SCORING: The 114 points SFA scored against Howard Payne marks the highest offensive output by a Lumberjack team in Danny Kaspar's 10-plus seasons as head coach. It's just the eighth time in Kaspar's tenure for the 'Jacks to break into triple-digits. The last time an SFA team scored more than 114 points was in the 1996-97 home opener when Derek Allister's squad beat Schreiner College, 138-69. Only that total and the 126 points SFA put up against Texas Wesleyan in the 1994-95 campaign top the Lumberjacks' output against Howard Payne in SFA's history at the Division I level.
MARGINAL: The 65-point margin of victory in SFA's 114-49 win over Howard Payne is the widest margin of Danny Kaspar's tenure and the biggest point spread for the 'Jacks since a 138-69 win over Schreiner College in 1994-95.
CENTER OF THE SCORING: Junior center Jereal Scott put up a career-high 27 points in the season opener against Howard Payne. That's the most points scored by a Lumberjack since Matt Kingsley -- Scott's predecessor at the five spot -- scored 29 in a win at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi during the 2007-08 season.
PARTY OF FIVE: SFA has put five players in double figures on two separate occasions this season. Against Howard Payne, Jereal Scott, Jordan Glynn, Eddie Williams, Amos Olatayo and Zac Downing all reached double digits. Glynn, Scott, Olatayo, Brandon Cutler and Dion Prewster all reached double figures against Science and Arts of Oklahoma. That feat has been achieved 17 times in Danny Kaspar's tenure as head coach. The 'Jacks put five in double figures only three times last season.
BELOW FIFTY: SFA has held 10 opponents below 50 points so far this season. In 10-plus seasons under Danny Kaspar the Lumberjacks have held an opponent to 50 points or fewer on 52 occasions.
SEASON OPENERS: SFA is now 7-4 in season-opening games under head coach Danny Kaspar. The Lumberjacks have compiled a 12-13 record in season openers as a Division I program (since 1986-87 season). Under Kaspar, the Lumberjacks are 6-0 when opening the season at home and 11-6 in home season openers overall as a Division I program. SFA is 1-4 under Kaspar when opening on the road and is just 1-7, in all, as a Division I program when playing the season opener on the road. The Lumberjacks' only season-opening road win in the last 23 seasons was an 82-72 verdict at Tulsa to start the 2005-06 campaign.
HOME OPENER: SFA knocked off Howard Payne, 114-49, in the 2010-11 home opener. Head coach Danny Kaspar's teams are a perfect 11-0 in home openers at SFA. The last time an SFA team failed to win its home opener was a 67-55 loss to Texas A&M in 1998.
SAFE AT HOME: In 10-plus seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar, the Lumberjacks have compiled a 124-31 (.799) record in the William R. Johnson Coliseum. SFA is 320-122 (.723) all-time in the Coliseum. SFA has recorded six straight seasons and eight campaigns in nine years with double-digit wins at home.
-- SFA --
