Stephen F. Austin
Sam Houston State
Bogues and Charles Combined for 49, Help SFA Rock SHSU 82-66
1/27/2018 9:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
'Jacks move to third place in the Southland Conference standings, win for 15th time in last 16 games against Bearkats
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Not even 72 hours ago, the Stephen F. Austin men's basketball team was left reeling from a defensive standpoint after getting 100 hung on it by a hot-shooting Central Arkansas team.
All of the concerns the 'Jacks' had about their defensive effort, however, were assuaged over the span of two hours on Saturday night against their biggest rival in program history.
Bolstered by a near-capacity crowd inside William R. Johnson Coliseum, it mattered not that the 'Jacks received only 13 combined points from their starters because Shannon Bogues (29 points) and Ty Charles (20 points) flourished off the bench, leading SFA to an 82-66 triumph over Sam Houston State Saturday night.
In all, Bogues and Charles accounted for 59.8-percent of the 'Jacks' point total as SFA shredded a Sam Houston State defense that entered the game leading the Southland Conference in scoring defense, opponent field-goal percentage and opponent three-point field goal percentage. The 'Jacks connected on 66-percent (31-of-47) of their shots and turned in a defensive effort that limited the Bearkats to their lowest point total in a league game this season.
"Truthfully our rotation was messed up the whole night," admitted SFA head coach Kyle Keller, who was forced to play the majority of the game without his squad's leading scorer in sophomore Kevon Harris.
Making things more difficult was the fact that Ivan Canete picked up four fouls before the first half was in the books. Early in the second frame, TJ Holyfield was whistled for his fourth, too, necessitating a dash of lineup creativity from the 'Jacks' second-year bench boss.
"Really, we have eight starters on our team, so that makes it a little easier to plug players in and still be able to run the things we like to run despite foul trouble," Keller added. "Shannon Bogues does what Shannon Bogues does and Ty Charles is slowly but surely returning to his top form. All the fans who showed up tonight got what they wanted - a hotly contested game between two great, great basketball teams."
Despite the lopsided final score, it was the Bearkats who drew first blood. Three different players put in points for the visitors who opened the game on a 6-0 run before Bogues and Charles took over.
That duo made sure the Bearkats' lead wouldn't last too long as they combined to score the 'Jacks' first 12 points during a 12-2 run by the home team that put them on top the rest of the way. Outside of a layup from John Comeaux which made matters 16-8 with 11:58 to go in the opening frame, Bogues and Charles remained a two-man wrecking crew for the 'Jacks early by going on to pump in 20 of the hosts' first 22 points.
Even though the Bearkats started the game 2-of-3 from the field, they would not enjoy a great deal of success for the remainder of the half. Through the final 16:35 of the frame, Sam Houston State connected on just four of its 17 field goals and at one point in the frame, the 'Jacks' haranguing defense held the Bearkats without a field goal for 10:06.
With Bogues and Charles leading the charge, the 'Jacks' offense did anything but sputter. Canete connected on a three-pointer with 1:46 to go in the half that pushed the 'Jacks' lead to 42-23 before the frame ended.
Leon Gilmore III put in a layup in the opening minutes of the second half which pushed the 'Jacks' lead to 48-28, but just as it looked as though the 'Jacks would run away with things the Bearkats made their run.
Following a pair of free throws from Bogues that hiked SFA's lead to 53-35 with 15:01 left, the Bearkats embarked on a 13-2 scoring spree over the next four minutes to cut the 'Jacks' edge down to seven, 55-48, with 11:00 remaining. Jamal Williams put in six of his team-high 16 points during that run before Charles finally stopped it by swishing a long two-pointer which was followed up with a fast-break layup from Comeaux that extended the hosts' lead to 59-48.
That push was the only one Sam Houston State had in it, however, as the 'Jacks wrapped up a 9-2 run with a three-point play by Canete that made matters 64-50 with 7:13 left. Although Sam Houston State hit four three-pointers in the final 6:53, Bogues and Charles brought the home team to the finish line by combining to produce 14 of the 'Jacks' final 18 points of the game.
Sam Houston State shot only 39.2-percent (20-of-51) from the field but was able to prevent the game from turning into a runaway by posting a 73.3-percent (22-of-30) effort from the foul line. John Dewey III put in 12 while Chris Galbreath, Jr., and Marcus Harris added 10 apiece in the Bearkats' seventh-straight loss in Nacogdoches.
Now in third place in the Southland Conference standings, the 'Jacks wrap up their two-game homestand Wednesday night a 7:00 p.m. by hosting Southland Conference foe Houston Baptist. The Huskies, who stand at 5-16 and 1-7 in Southland Conference play, have never won a game in Nacogdoches and are 0-13 there all-time.
-SFA-
