Stephen F. Austin
Arlington Baptist
Back at Home, --/rv SFA Faces Arlington Baptist in Final Non-Conference Tilt
12/21/2017 12:03:00 AM | Men's Basketball
'Jacks seek 11-2 record prior to starting Southland Conference play
--/rv Stephen F. Austin (10-2) vs. Arlington Baptist (3-10)
Thursday, Dec. 21 | 6:00 p.m. | Nacogdoches, Texas | William R. Johnson Coliseum (7,203)
Live Stats | Watch (ESPN3/ESPN app) | Listen (Q107.7/TuneIn) | SFA Game Notes
OPENING TIPS
• The final stage of the Stephen F. Austin men's basketball team's regular season non-conference schedule takes place inside William R. Johnson Coliseum Thursday evening when the 'Jacks try to get back in the win column by hosting Arlington Baptist at 6:00 p.m.
• As has been the case for each of the last three seasons, ESPN3 and the ESPN app will carry each and every second of the 'Jacks' battle with the Patriots. Narrating the pre-Christmas tilt will be jolly old Rob Meyers - long time voice of the Lumberjacks. Meyers' call can also be heard over the airwaves locally on Q107.7 FM and nationally on the TuneIn app.
• Should the 'Jacks defeat the Patriots, it would mark only the second time in the history of the program in which SFA notched 11 wins before beginning its conference schedule. Those 11 wins would tie the program record for most non-conference wins heading into conference play and that record was set in the 2013-14 season - a campaign in which SFA went 32-3.
• One of the finest shooters in the nation - both from the field and at the free throw line - junior TJ Holyfield ranks second in the Southland Conference in field goal shooting (58.5-percent) and leads the 13-team league in free throw shooting by slinging in 87.2-percent of his tries from the foul line. Those figures have the Albuquerque, N.M., product sitting 47th and 66th in the nation in each respective category.
• The defensive style for SFA - which was recently gushed about by ESPN's Jay Bilas - is one of disruption. So far, the 'Jacks have done a good job at making their opponents lives miserable by forcing a nation-leading 22.83 turnovers per game. In terms of steals, the 'Jacks' theft total of 153 and per-game average of 12.8 both ranks second in the land.
• Despite suffering a one-point loss at Missouri Tuesday night, that didn't prevent SFA's RPI from soaring up once again. Currently, the 'Jacks' RPI sits at 59 and the next closest Southland Conference team is Lamar who owns an RPI of 120.
• Tuesday night's game will mark the final one of 2017 inside William R. Johnson Coliseum - the site of the nation's best home court winning percentage since 2012-13. In that span, SFA has gone an amazing 78-3 (.963) inside the structure.
LAST TIME OUT
• In a bid to lock up a second-straight win over an SEC foe this season, SFA came up just short in an 82-81 setback at --/rv Missouri Tuesday night inside Mizzou Arena.
• SFA never led in the tilt, marking the first time the 'Jacks never held an advantage in a game since their March 15, 2017, CIT first round matchup at Idaho, but there were three deadlocks and plenty of opportunities for the visitors to move ahead in the closing minutes.
• Outside of Kevon Harris, who connected on all four of his three-point field goal tries, the 'Jacks' could not get their long range shooting going. As a team, SFA slung in 37.5-percent (6-of-16) of its three-pointers and if Harris' 4-of-4 performance from there is subtracted SFA's percentage dips to 2-of-12 (16.7-percent).
• At the end of the night, Harris finished with a team-high 19 points to lead the way for SFA. TJ Holyfield, who had been held under 10 points in back-to-back games headed into Tuesday night's tilt, came back to life on offense and added 18 points and a game-high seven rebounds.
• Once again, and for the fourth time in their last five games, the 'Jacks had to make a play in the final 10 seconds of the game. Missouri's Kassius Robertson missed a pair of free throws in with 13 seconds left, giving the ball back to SFA. From there, however, Ivan Canete's pass was stolen by Robertson with 2.7 seconds left and the Tigers were able to inbound the ball and run out the remaining time to close out the win.
• For the sixth time this season, SFA amassed 40 or more points in the paint. The 'Jacks' totaled 44 points in the painted area on the night, finishing +20 in that statistical category over their SEC adversaries.
• As good as the 'Jacks were inside, the Tigers were just as dangerous - perhaps more so - from beyond the three-point arc. Missouri hit its first seven three-pointers of the game and went on to finish 11-of-22 (50-percent) from long range. As a matter of fact, the Tigers came out scorching hot by hitting 12 of their first 13 field goal tries of the game.
• One of the final parts of Holyfield's 18-point outing was a monstrous one-handed slam late in the second half that pulled SFA within one. The dunk - which was hammered down on the dome of Missouri's Terrence Phillips - was named SportsCenter's number-three play of the day later that night on the show's top ten countdown.
• After trailing by eight to start the second half, the 'Jacks fell into an even deeper hole by allowing Missouri to start the final frame on a 7-2 run which extended the Tigers' lead to 13, 55-42, with 17:58 left.
• SFA, however, did not lay down. By receiving scores from Harris, Shannon Bogues and John Comeaux, the 'Jacks took off on an 8-0 run which trimmed Missouri's lead to just five, 60-55, with 13:24 left. The Tigers' edge wouldn't exceed seven points the rest of the way.
• The loss also meant that SFA was unable to secure its first-ever win over an NCAA Division I program from the state of Missouri. The 'Jacks are now 0-2 against Missouri and 0-1 against Missouri State, giving them an 0-3 record when matched up with foes from the Show Me State.
SCOUTING ARLINGTON BAPTIST (3-10) | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• Through its first 13 games of the regular season - which will not include a 109-60 defeat at the hands of Abilene Christian Tuesday night as the game went down as an exhibition contest for the Patriots - Arlington Baptist has played 11 of them on the road or at neutral site. Through that stretch, the Patriot have not enjoyed much success either, going only 1-10 in those games.
• Making their first-ever trip to Nacogdoches, Arlington Baptist plays in the National Christian College Athletic Association's (NCCAA) Division II. The Patriots, who are not affiliated with any other junior college leagues such as the NAIA or the NJCAA, are instead an independent member of the Association of Christian College Athletics (ACCA). In all, the ACCA has institutions in 11 of the United States and one Canadian province.
• Standing at only 5'8, Markel Semien serves as the Patriots' leading scorer thus far. The sophomore out of Lake Charles, La., is averaging 14.8 points per game while shooting 39-percent from the field, 34-percent from long-range and 74-percent from the foul line. His 3.9 rebounds per game represent the second-highest average on the team, too.
• The Patriots' three wins - two of which have come at home - have occurred by a grand total of 13 points. Before suffering a 72-85 setback to Rhema Bible College on Dec. 14, Arlington Baptist had reeled off back-to-back triumphs against Barclay College (88-80, Dec. 5) and Manhattan Christian College (81-77, Dec. 9).
• Perhaps the most well-rounded player on the Patriots' roster, Kel Wallace is nearly averaging a double-double. The 6'4 senior ranks second on the team in scoring at 10.7 points per game and leads the squad in rebounding at 8.1 per tilt.
• Just two of Arlington Baptist's losses this season have come by less than 10 points. In the remaining eight, the average margin of defeat for Arlington Baptist has been 32.1 points.
COMING UP NEXT
• The preseason pick to claim the 2017-18 Southland Conference regular season title, SFA begins its quest toward that championship in Hammond, La., next Thursday night (Dec. 28). At 7:00 p.m., the 'Jacks begin their 18-game Southland Conference slate by battling Southeastern Louisiana inside the University Center.
-SFA-
