Stephen F. Austin
Southwestern Assemblies of God
Walker's Late Free Throw Lifts 'Jacks Over Southwestern Assemblies of God 68-67
11/8/2018 9:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Harris scores 18 as SFA starts 2018-19 with a 2-0 record
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - As they say, a win is a win.
And that holds true - no matter how it occurs. SFA found that out firsthand Thursday night.
Freshman guard Oddyst Walker broke a 67-67 tie by sinking a game-winning free throw with 2.1 seconds left to lift the SFA men's basketball team to a 68-67 victory over the NAIA's Southwestern Assemblies of God Thursday night inside William R. Johnson Coliseum.
Joshua Kashila hit a game-tying three-pointer for the Lions with 36 seconds to go before Walker corralled a loose ball off of a missed baseline runner by Shannon Bogues. Upon retrieving the rebound, Walker was fouled by Cameron Hill, sending the freshman to the free throw line to play the role of hero.
First Half
• Offense was at a premium for both teams, but SFA wound up far worse off for wear early in the half.
• Through the first 9:19, only 25 combined points were on the board and SFA found itself at a 13-12 disadvantage. Southwestern Assemblies of God's lead increased to 10, 29-19, following a 10-5 run by the Lions capped off by a layup from Hill.
• Kevon Harris made sure that 10-point lead wouldn't last long by starting a 17-4 run over the final 4:02 of the half with a pair of makes at the free throw line. SFA's first eight points of that surge came from the free throw line but after that freshman forward Mitchell Seraille took over.
• Serialle hammered down a powerful two-handed dunk and converted a fast break layup that put SFA in front, 33-32, with 1:20 to go.
• Fellow freshman Jock Hughes broke a 33-all deadlock before the half came to an end by drilling a three-pointer with four seconds left off of an assist from Bogues. The long-range hit was Hughes' first collegiate field goal.
Second Half
• Junior Rance Cole delivered a jumper and Bogues followed with one of his own during SFA's 4-0 run to start the second half. That put SFA up 40-33 with 18:03 to go before the Lions roared back again.
• Southwestern Assemblies of God netted the next nine points to take a 42-40 lead with 13:07 left. Back-to-back layups from Harris, however, made sure SFA wouldn't trail again.
• Although the 'Jacks never fell behind for the rest of the half, that didn't make a victory a sure thing. Davonte Fitzgerald swished a jumper with 1:56 left that gave SFA a 67-60 lead, but a 7-0 run by the Lions tied the game before Walker's free throw ended things.
Key Performers/Statistics of Note
• Kevon Harris amassed a team and season-high 18 points for SFA to help the 'Jacks fend off Southwestern Assemblies of God. The junior drilled six of his 11 tries from the field and added six rebounds as well as one of SFA's seven blocked shots.
• The Lions bricked a breakaway slam dunk in the opening minute of the second half and defensively the 'Jacks forced their in-state adversaries into 20 turnovers. SFA managed to turn those throwaways into only nine points, however.
• Twenty-one of the Lions' 67 points came off of SFA's 24 throwaways and Kashila finished with a game-high 20 points for his squad.
• SFA committed a pair of turnovers in the last 1:32 to give the Lions a chance.
• The Lions finished just 38.9-percent (21-of-54) from the field and 4-of-18 (22.2-percent) from three-point range, but made up for that with an 80.8-percent accurate rate from the free throw line where they made 21 of their 26 tries.
• Bogues and Nathan Bain each finished with 10 points for the 'Jacks while Bain added a game-high seven rebounds. Bogues reset his career high in assists by dishing out eight of SFA's 15 helpers.
• SFA has now started 2-0 for the second-straight season.
COMING UP NEXT
• In what will surely be a big-time test for the 'Jacks early in the season, SFA travels to Coral Gables, Fla., to do battle with rv/rv Miami on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. from the Watsco Center. The game will be broadcast nationwide on ESPNU.
-SFA-
