Stephen F. Austin
Louisiana Tech
Mid-Major Powers Collide in Ruston when SFA Battles Louisiana Tech Wednesday Evening
12/5/2017 4:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
'Jacks and Bulldogs meet for the first time since 1999, both squads have just one loss
Stephen F. Austin (7-1) at Louisiana Tech (6-1)
Wednesday, Dec. 6 | 6:30 p.m. | Ruston, La. | Thomas Assembly Center (8,000)
Live Stats | Watch (C-USA TV) | Listen (Q107.7/TuneIn) | SFA Games Notes | Louisiana Tech Game Notes | SFA Weekly Press Conference Transcript
OPENING TIPS
• Reigniting a rivalry that has lain dormant for almost 18 years, the Stephen F. Austin men's basketball team treks approximately two-and-a-half hours northeast to Ruston, La., for a Wednesday evening showdown between fellow mid-major power Louisiana Tech. Tip-off inside the Thomas Assembly Center has been set for 6:30 p.m. with the non-conference showdown set to be streamed online via C-USA TV.
• Over the airwaves, Rob Meyers will provide play-by-play and analysis of the game on Q107.7 FM in Nacogdoches. Meyers' call can also be heard nationwide via the TuneIn app or by accessing TuneIn.com.
• Although separated by only 161 miles, SFA and Louisiana Tech have done battle on the hardwood just 10 times before. The most recent of those meetings came on Dec. 21, 1999, in Nacogdoches, Texas, with the Bulldogs earning a 70-60 victory. The 'Jacks' Wednesday evening meeting with the Bulldogs in Ruston comes exactly 20 years to the day since the teams last encountered one another in Louisiana Tech's home city.
• Wednesday night's game will pit the 'Jacks against an opponent from Conference USA for the 150th time. All-time, SFA has put forth a record of 72-77 (.483) against Conference USA adversaries. Second-year head coach Kyle Keller is 1-2 (.333) when facing C-USA competition with his lone win coming against Southern Miss (67-64, 12/23/17).
• Though some of its defensive numbers took a slight dip after last Saturday's home win over Louisiana-Monroe, the 'Jacks are still in possession of one of the nation's best defenses. SFA leads all of NCAA Division I men's basketball by forcing 24 turnovers per game and ranks second in steals per game (12.9), third in total steals (103) and fourth in turnover margin (+7.1).
• Wednesday night's game will feature two of the nation's best men's basketball squads over the past five-plus seasons. Since 2012-13, SFA has gone an impressive 141-35 and owns the nation's sixth-highest winning percentage (.801) through that stretch. Louisiana Tech, meanwhile, owns a record of 135-45 in that same span which translates to the nation's 14th-highest winning percentage (.750).
SCOUTING LOUISIANA TECH | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• Louisiana Tech possesses four players who put in more than 10 points per game and leading the way in that group is sophomore guard Jalen Harris. He averages 15.7 points per game while shooting .449/.429/.778 and is complimented by DaQuan Bracey who ranks second on the squad in scoring at 14 per tilt.
• Now in his fourth season in charge at Louisiana Tech, head coach Eric Konkol has not been defeated by a Southland Conference program during his tenure. SFA is the only Southland squad the Bulldogs will face in 2017-18 and previously Konkol's squads have defeated Southeastern Louisiana (88-59, 12/3/16), Nicholls (79-54, 12/18/14) and Northwestern State (99-88, 12/2/14).
• No team in Conference USA dishes out more assists per game than Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs average 16.5 helpers per game with many of them coming off the hands of sophomore DaQuan Bracey who leads the team with 4.4 assists per outing.
• Taking great care of the basketball, Louisiana Tech averages only 11.3 turnovers per game which is the 30th-best figure in the nation. The Bulldogs' 79 total turnovers represent a Conference USA-low total and are the 19th fewest by any NCAA Division I men's basketball team in the land.
• Boasting the best shot blocking squad in the 14-team Conference USA, Louisiana Tech is swatting away opponent field goal tries at a rate of 5.3 per game. That figure ranks 33rd nationally, and standing at the head of the line for the Bulldogs in that category is the duo of Joniah White (1.71 blocks/game) and Anthony Duruji (1.50 blocks/game).
• The Bulldogs - much like the 'Jacks - know a thing or two about protecting their home floor. Since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, Louisiana Tech's Thomas Assembly Center - commonly referred to as the TAC - has been one of the most difficult venues for opponents to play in. Louisiana Tech has gone 79-4 in the facility since 2012-13 which is good for a winning percentage of .952 - the fourth-highest in the nation in that span. The four losses incurred by Louisiana Tech in that stretch came at the hands of Florida Gulf Coast, UTSA, Old Dominion and Louisiana by a combined 14 points.
SFA vs. LOUISIANA TECH | SERIES HISTORY
• Games | 10
• All-Time Series | Tied 5-5 (.500)
• In Nacogdoches, Texas | 3-1 (.750)
• In Ruston, La. | 1-2 (.333)
• Last Win | at SFA 81, La. Tech 79 (OT, 12/6/86)
• Last Home Win | at SFA 81, La. Tech 79 (OT, 12/6/86)
• Last Road Win | at La. Tech 58, SFA 67 (11/25/85)
• Last Loss | at SFA 60, La. Tech 70 (12/21/99)
• Last Home Loss | at SFA 60, La. Tech 70 (12/21/99)
• Last Road Loss | at La. Tech 82, SFA 57 (12/6/97)
• Largest Margin of Victory | 21, at SFA 63, La. Tech 41 (12/6/39)
• Largest Margin of Defeat | 25, at La. Tech 82, SFA 57 (12/6/97)
• Current Streak | La. Tech won four
• SFA Points (Avg.) | 656 (65.6)
• La. Tech Points (Avg.) | 692 (69.2)
• Keller vs. La. Tech | 0-0 (.000)
• At William R. Johnson Coliseum | 0-0 (.000)
• At Thomas Assembly Center | 0-0 (.000)
• Keller vs. Konkol | 0-0 (.000)
• Konkol vs. SFA | 0-0 (.000)
• Playing the role of hero by helping the 'Jacks dodge their first overtime tilt since Feb. 25, 2016, sophomore Aaron Augustin collected a loose ball batted out to him by a Louisiana-Monroe player and hit a three-pointer at the horn that lifted SFA to a 68-65 triumph over the Warhawks last Saturday evening in William R. Johnson Coliseum.
• Augustin's thrilling triple capped SFA's first buzzer-beating win since Feb. 22, 2014, when then-junior Jacob Parker delivered a game-clinching dunk at the horn to help SFA post a 70-68 Southland Conference victory over Northwestern State inside William R. Johnson Coliseum. Both of the 'Jacks' last two buzzer-beating wins have come against opponents from the state of Louisiana.
• The efforts of Augustin were part of a career performance for the Suwanee, Ga., product as he established new collegiate bests in points (10), rebounds (seven), three-point field goal tries (four) and minutes played (35).
• The win, SFA's first over Louisiana-Monroe since 2010, was made possible in a big way by junior TJ Holyfield. Hailing from Albuquerque, N.M., Holyfield put forth a near-flawless shooting effort by netting a game-high 24 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field. He finished one point shy of tying his career high and tied a career-best by drilling four three-pointers.
• In addition to his offense, Holyfield's defense was also on full display as the junior added a pair of blocked shots. Those rejections pushed his career total to an even 100, making him one of only three players in the history of the program with 100 or more blocks. Currently, Holyfield is tied for second all-time in the history of the program in terms of blocked shots and needs 33 more to move past Taylor Smith for first place.
• Even though they shot a season-low 59.3-percent from the foul line in the win, the 'Jacks had their fair share of chances from that distance throughout the game. Senior Leon Gilmore III attempted 12 of SFA's 27 free throws - a career-high for the Houston, Texas, product - and finished with 11 points. It was Gilmore III's second-straight game of 10 or more points this season.
• In all, five SFA players contributed 10 or more points to the 'Jacks' efforts. Augustin, Gilmore III and Holyfield all did so as did Shannon Bogues (10) and Kevon Harris (11). It marked the first time since Feb. 25, 2016, that five SFA players reached double-digits in a game.
• For the first time in 2017-18, the 'Jacks committed fewer than 10 turnovers in a game. SFA's nine turnovers represented a season low and marked the team's first outing with fewer than 10 throwaways since totaling just six in a Southland Conference home win over Incarnate Word on Feb. 9, 2017.
• Bogues' 10-point effort was his seventh double-digit scoring effort of the season. Additionally, the junior dished out a team and career-high five assists in the win.
• The Warhawks hit 47.1-percent (8-of-17) of their three-point tries against the 'Jacks which was the highest three-point field goal shooting percentage by an SFA adversary this season. Travis Munnings hit the last of those long-range shots with 25 seconds remaining to tie the game at 65-65
• With the win, SFA pushed its record against foes from the state of Louisiana to 27-4 (.871) since 2012-13.
BACK TO THE BEGINNING
• During the 1990-91 season - some 27 years ago - current SFA head coach Kyle Keller began his coaching career by signing on as an assistant coach on head coach Jerry Loyd's staff at Louisiana Tech.
• That season, Keller helped the Bulldogs - led by eventual 15-year NBA veteran P.J. Brown - roll up a 21-10 record en route to an American South Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance. • Through his four-year career as an assistant coach in Ruston, Keller helped the Bulldogs record 53 wins and make appearances in the NCAA Tournament and the NIT.
HOLYFIELD'S HOT START
• Through the first eight games of his junior season, forward TJ Holyfield has turned in one of the best statistical lines among all NCAA Division I men's basketball players while leading the 'Jacks to their best start since 2012-13.
• Holyfield leads SFA in scoring (18.3 ppg), rebounding (7.6 per game), field goal percentage (.624), three-point field goal percentage (.500), free throw percentage (.871) and ranks among the top five in the Southland Conference in each of those statistical categories.
• SFA's junior joins Arizona's Deandre Ayton, Marshall's Ajdin Penava, North Carolina A&T's Femi Olujobi, UNC-Wilmington's Devontae Cacok and UNLV's Brandon McCoy as the only players in all of NCAA Division I men's basketball who currently rank among the top five in their respective conferences in terms of scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage.
• As of this writing, Holyfield is the only NCAA Division I men's basketball player in the nation to rank among the top five in his conference in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage. Respectively, Holyfield ranks third, fifth, second, second and second in the Southland Conference in each of those statistical categories.
COMING UP NEXT
• Continuing its week-long swing against opponents from Conference USA, the 'Jacks return to William R. Johnson Coliseum Saturday afternoon for a 2:00 p.m. matchup with in-state rival Rice. The meeting between the Owls and 'Jacks will be the first between the two squads in Nacogdoches since Nov. 27, 2001.
