Stephen F. Austin
St. Edward's
Augustin Resets Career Bests in Assists, Steals in 'Jacks' 73-60 Victory over St. Edward's
11/25/2018 7:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Junior guard finished with 12 assists and six steals as 'Jacks move to 4-1 for second-straight season
?? | Head coach Kyle Keller recaps the win over St. Edwards. #AxeEm https://t.co/syihsqXfwG
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - After sitting out of each of the SFA men's basketball team's first three games of the season, junior guard Aaron Augustin had plenty of time to watch and learn the best ways his game could influence the team.
He showed off the knowledge he had accumulated Sunday evening inside William R. Johnson Coliseum.
The Suwanee, Ga., product ran an SFA offense that shot 49-percent from the field and 46.2-percent from the three-point line by dishing out a career-best 12 assists and coming up with six of SFA's 10 steals to help the 'Jacks take down St. Edward's 73-60 in a 2018 Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic campus site game.
As a result of Augustin's adroit passing skill, four 'Jacks finished with 12 or more points including Shannon Bogues who dropped in a game-high 16. Junior Kevon Harris added 14 while Davonte Fitzgerald and Karl Nicholas added 12 apiece for SFA.
FIRST HALF
• Though it went down in the books as an exhibition for St. Edward's, that didn't stop the Hilltoppers from throwing the first punch. Four different players scored for the visitors during their 10-5 run through the first 3:50 of the game.
• That lead lasted until Karl Nicholas swished a pair of free throws with 11:47 left in the frame that made matters 18-17. Those free throws handed the 'Jacks their first lead of the game and from there the hosts never gave it up.
• Davonte Fitzgerald, who posted the 'Jacks' first five points of the game, ended SFA's 19-7 run with a free throw make that extended SFA's lead to 24-17 with 8:43 left in the half.
• St. Edward's pulled within three points when Luke Pluymen's layup with 3:00 to go trimmed the 'Jacks' lead to 33-30, but Bogues took control from there.
• The senior concluded his 14-point first half by netting the 'Jacks' last five points of the opening stanza. Those markers from Bogues allowed SFA to take a 38-33 lead into the locker room.
• SFA connected on 54.5-percent (12-of-22) of its shots in the opening half including four of its eight tries from long distance. Bogues absolutely cooked in the opening frame, going 4-of-5 from the field, 3-of-3 from three-point range and 3-of-3 from the free throw line.
SECOND HALF
• Karl Nicholas punctuated an 8-0 SFA run to begin the second half with a two-handed flush that upped the hosts' lead to 46-33.
• The 'Jacks' offense wasn't the only thing that looked sharp early in the final frame. asdfasdf
• Augustin dished out his 10th assist of the game with 9:02 remaining when SFA's junior found Fitzgerald for a three-pointer on the wing that pushed the home team's lead to 60-45. Just as it looked as SFA was poised to run away with it, however, St. Edward's made things interesting.
• Over a span of 1:05, the Hilltoppers scored 10 unanswered points and were able to cut the 'Jacks' lead down to 60-55 with 7:03 left.
• Once again, it was Augustin who sparked the 'Jacks final run. Off of a steal from Nathan Bain, Augustin found a wide-open Kevon Harris sprinting down the court. Augustin's dish to Harris resulted in a two-handed slam by the latter which ignited a 13-5 run by SFA to finish the game.
KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• Augustin's 12 assists are tied for the third-most in a single game in SFA's NCAA Division I history. It also marked the first time since 2005 that an SFA player dished out 12 or more assists.
• Additionally, Augustin's six steals are tied for the third-most in a single game in SFA's NCAA Division I history. Only two players (Tysmon Jolivette and Eddie Williams) racked up more than six steals in a single game for the 'Jacks since they became an NCAA Division I institution in 1987-88.
• Fitzgerald finished one rebound shy of a double-double, grabbing a game-best nine boards for SFA. Harris totaled eight boards in the victory.
• James Taylor netted a team-high 11 points off the bench for St. Edward's who is currently ranked 14th in the latest edition of the D2SIDA poll. SFA limited the Hilltoppers to shooting splits of .375/.200/.500 and finished with a 40-29 edge on the glass over its in-state NCAA Division II adversaries.
• With the win, SFA head coach Kyle Keller became the 10th coach in SFA history to reach the 50-win mark in his career. Keller is now tied for ninth all-time on SFA's coaching wins chart.
• SFA improved to 4-1 for the second-straight season. The 'Jacks' impressive home record since 2011-12 now stands at 91-4 (.958) and SFA continues to lead the nation in home court winning percentage in that span.
COMING UP NEXT
• For the first time in program history, the 'Jacks will head overseas to take part in regular season basketball games. SFA is one of eight teams that comprise the field for the 2018 Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic and the 'Jacks will play two games in Belfast, Northern Ireland. First up is a Friday showdown with San Francisco (6-0). SFA will try to hand the Dons their first loss of 2018-19 at 7:00 a.m. CT (1:00 p.m. local time).
-SFA-
