SFA Enters Final Stretch Facing HBU, UIW
2/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Stephen F. Austin at Houston Baptist
Saturday, February 28 •7 p.m.
Sharp Gymnasium • Houston, Texas
Records: SFA (23-4, 13-1 SLC); HBU (11-13, 6-8 SLC)
Stephen F. Austin vs. Incarnate Word
Monday, March 2 •7 p.m.
William R. Johnson Coliseum • Nacogdoches, Texas
Records: SFA (23-4, 13-1 SLC); UIW (17-7, 9-5 SLC)
Listen: Q107.7 FM (listen online at Q1077.com)
Live Video:HBU • UIW
Live Stats:HBU • UIW
Twitter Updates: @SFA_MBB
Stephen F. Austin Game Notes
Opening Tip
Stephen F. Austin prepares for the final challenging stretch of the 2014-15 season as the Lumberjacks will play four games over an eight-day span. That stretch begins with the final road game of the season at Hous­ton Baptist, tipping at 7 p.m. from Sharp Gymnasium on Saturday, February 2. SFA then opens up its season-ending three-game home stand hosting Incarnate Word at 7 p.m. Monday, March 2nd.
Scouting the Huskies
HBU enters the weekend with an overall mark of 11-13 and is 6-8 in Southland Conference play. The Huskies have lost three-straight, coming off a 77-64 loss at Incarnate Word Monday, but have been strong at Sharp Gym, posting a 9-2 record in 2014-15. G Anthony Odunsi leads the Huskies in scor­ing, averaging 12.6 points per game while leading HBU with 61 assists. F Colton Lasher averages 10.5 ppg for the Huskies with F Josh Ibarra leading the team averaging 6.5 rebounds per game.
Series Information
Saturday's tilt against Houston Baptist will the 16th meeting between the two teams in the series dating back to 1966 as the `Jacks own a commanding 14-1 lead in the all-time series. SFA is 3-1 all-time against the Huskies in Houston, including a 77-50 win at Sharp Gym in 2014.
The Last Meeting
SFA was firing on all cylinders against Houston Baptist, routing the Huskies 95-59 at WRJ Coliseum on February 7th. The Lumberjacks were led by a career-high 34 points from Thomas Walkup, who also added seven rebounds, while Jacob Parker and Clide Geffrard each posted 16 points in the victory. The `Jacks raced out to a 20-point halftime lead at 47-27, then extended that margin to as many as 45 midway through the second half before cruising to the 36-point victory, its third-largest of the season.
Scouting the Cardinals
Incarnate Word carries a 17-7 record into the weekend and is 9-5 in Southland Conference play, facing Lamar in Beaumont Saturday before making the trip to Nacogdoches. UIW is 9-4 on the road this season, including a marquee 74-73 victory at Nebraska on Dec. 10th, as the Cardinals enter the weekend having won five of their last six, the lone loss being to SFA. F Denzel Livingston is the SLC's leading scorer, averaging 22.7 ppg with 6.1 rpg as he is the Cardinals' leader in both blocks (32) and steals (65) as well. F Kyle Hittle has added a 1-2 punch for UIW, averaging 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while G Jontrell Walker is averaging 15.4 points per game as Incarnate Word averages 81.7 points per game as a team.
Series Information
Monday's game against Incarnate Word marks just the third all-time meeting between the Lumberjacks and Cardinals with SFA having won the previous two. The `Jacks defeated UIW 90- 76 in San Antonio on Feb. 16th and outlasted the Cardinals 76-74 in WRJ Coliseum last year, needing a Jacob Parker tip-in at the buzzer to secure the win.
The Last Meeting
Coming off its first SLC loss in over two years, SFA rebounded with a 90-76 win over Incarnate Word at the McDermott Center in San Antonio on February 16th. Five Lumberjacks scored in double figures, led by 28 points and eight rebounds from Thomas Walkup, with Ty Charles adding a career-high 19 points with nine rebounds. Jacob Parker also added 13 points and eight rebounds as SFA shot 62.5 percent from the floor, racing out to a 41-30 halftime lead and pushing that advantage to as many as 16 in the second half.
Last Time Out
Five Lumberjacks scored in double figures, led by a career-high 21 from Jared Johnson, as SFA routed Lamar 103-74 Monday evening at WRJ Coliseum. The `Jacks led by as many as 40, improving to 23-4 on the season and sweeping the season series against their rivals from Beaumont.
Walkup Reaches 1,000-Point Plateau
Junior Thomas Walkup became the latest member of the prestigious SFA 1,000-point club thanks to his 13-point performance in the victory over Lamar. Walkup scored the first eight SFA points of the game against the Cardinals, notching his 1,000th point on a driving layup and drawing the foul. The Pasadena native has scored 411 points this year, averaging 15.2 per game while hitting 58.3 percent from the floor, sitting at 1,011 points for his career. He becomes the second Lumberjack to reach the milestone this season, joining teammate Jacob Parker who accomplished the feat at Abilene Christian on January 17th.
Underwood in Elite Company
Second year head coach Brad Underwood continues to etch his name among some elite company in NCAA history. Earlier this year, he became tied for the fifth-fastest coach to 50 career wins, doing so in just 56 games. He currently boasts a 55-7 record, which is tied for third all-time for most wins through a coach's first two season. Underwood also boasts an .887 winning percentage, which currently ranks first all-time for a Division I head coach through his first two seasons.
Sending A Message
SFA heads into the weekend ranked 12th nationally in scoring margin, averaging 14.7 points per victory. The Lumberjacks have won by double digits in 20 of their 23 victories in 2014-15, including a 51-point victory over Central Arkansas, a 37-point win over Arkansas Tech and a 36-point win against Houston Baptist.
Underwood Reaches Final 16 of Infiniti Challenge
Head coach Brad Underwood is participating in the Infiniti Coaches' Charity Challenge. Original­ly, one of 48 top college basketball coaches in the nation participating in the fan-vote challenge, Underwood has advanced to the third round as he tries to help win $100,000 for the Nacogdoches Area United Way. Fans can register and vote online daily at ESPN.com/Infiniti.
Looking Ahead
After the games against Houston Baptist and Incarnate Word, SFA closes out the regular season with a pair of challenging games against its two biggest rivals on a national stage. SFA plays host to Northwestern State on Thursday, March 5, followed by a showdown against conference co-leader Sam Houston State on Saturday, March 7. Both games against the Demons and Bearkats will be broadcast live on ESPN3 as both games will be Cram the Coliseum promotions.
-SFA-
