Stephen F. Austin
Houston Baptist
Four Score! 'Jacks Blast Huskies, 82-54, on Senior Night to Claim Fourth-Straight SLC Regular Season Title
2/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Final Stats |
MBB vs. HBU 2/27/16 
Stephen F. Austin 82, Houston Baptist 54
William R. Johnson Coliseum • Nacogdoches, Texas
Records: SFA (22-5, 15-0 SLC), Houston Baptist (16-13, 10-6 SLC)
Up next: at Incarnate Word (15-11, 10-5 SLC) • Monday, Feb. 29 • 6:00 p.m.
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – A new chapter of Southland Conference history was penned on Saturday night in Nacogdoches when the Stephen F. Austin men’s basketball team, led by its five-man senior class of Demetrious Floyd, Clide Geffrard, Jared Johnson, Trey Pinkney and Thomas Walkup, captured its fourth-straight SLC regular season crown by thrashing Houston Baptist 82-54.
SFA becomes the second team to ever win four consecutive regular season titles in the history of the 13-team conference. Lamar also accomplished the feat by emerging as the league's titleholders in 1978-81.
SFA’s latest win made sure the none of the ‘Jacks senior even lost a Southland Conference game at home in their careers and extended the nation’s longest active winning streak to 15 games. Additionally, the ‘Jacks pushed the nation’s third-longest home court win streak to 28 games and moved to 22-5 and 15-0 in SLC play.
Making the moment even more perfect was the team’s celebration of their senior quintet in a short ceremony before the game, and with the win SFA also sewed up the seventh undefeated season in William R. Johnson Coliseum since the building became the ‘Jacks new home in 1974.
Geffrard was his usual efficient self off the bench, amassing a game and career-high 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting and playing in front of a multitude of family members, Pinkney passed out a career-high 10 assists that facilitated the ‘Jacks 28-point victory.
Although hampered by foul trouble throughout his WRJ Coliseum curtain call, Walkup finished with 11 points, four assists and three steals of his own. Floyd added 16 more on 6-of-12 shooting and Johnson fired in nine.
With emotions running high following the senior day recognition ceremony, the ‘Jacks found themselves embroiled in a battle with a Huskies’ squad that was intent on putting an end to the nation’s fourth-longest home court winning streak.
The first 16 minutes of the tilt featured four deadlocks, but SFA regained its composure over the last 3:39 of the opening stanza by setting off on a game-changing 16-3 run sparked by a Nathan Bain put-back layup.
Jared Johnson buried two of his three downtown shots during that SFA scoring spree, but Pinkney provided what was unquestionably the highlight of the night. Diving out of bounds while chasing a loose ball, the senior somehow pulled off the pass of SFA’s season by gunning a laser to Holyfield who finished things off with a transition layup.
With that, the sizable SFA crowd became a factor and Geffrard’s jumper with 1:24 left in the frame pushed the ‘Jacks edge to double-digits for the first time. That lead never dipped below 10 points and in the waning minutes of the game SFA’s crowd was a sea of four-peat signs and chants of “SFA,” could be heard throughout the game’s final minutes.
Anthony Odunsi finished with 15 points for the Huskies and Jourdan Stickler added 11.
With two of the objectives on its preseason list now with a checkmark beside them, the ‘Jacks turn their attention to the matter of their last three regular season Southland Conference tilts of 2015-16. Those last three tilts will all take place on the road, beginning with a Monday night battle in the shadow of the Alamo. San Antonio, Texas, is where SFA and Incarnate Word will do battle at 6 p.m., and the game will be televised live on American Sports Network and online courtesy of the Southland Digital Network.
-SFA-
