Stephen F. Austin
Alabama
Comeaux's Return Sparks 'Jacks in Non-Conference Finale Versus Alabama
12/30/2018 7:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Junior finished with 13 in SFA's first home showdown against SEC adversary
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Senior Shannon Bogues amassed a game-high 21 points, junior Kevon Harris added 18 and in his 2018-19 debut junior John Comeaux came up with 13 but the SFA men's basketball team dropped a 79-69 decision to Alabama Sunday afternoon inside William R. Johnson Coliseum.
The Crimson Tide, who were the first SEC program to pay a visit to Nacogdoches in the history of Lumberjack basketball, owned a 47-30 edge on the glass over the 'Jacks and relied on four double-figure scorers to win their fourth in a row.
FIRST HALF
• With both teams hitting the court for the first time in nine days, offense was at a premium early on. Neither team scored until Bogues pulled up a drilled a mid-range jumper 2:06 into the non-conference tilt.
• That jumper was the starting point of SFA's 6-2 run to start the showdown but Alabama answered with a 7-2 surge culminating with a John Petty three-pointer to open up a 9-8 lead - its first of the game.
• From there, the teams exchanged baskets - and leads - until Alabama took control with a series of timely three-point makes.
• Bogues connected on his second of three first-half three-pointers to make matters 21-19 Lumberjacks with 6:33 to go in the frame. That lead, however, proved to be the 'Jacks' last of the game.
• During a 13-4 surge by the Crimson Tide, Petty drilled a triple and and Riley Norris connected on another while Hall contributed six points, too. That run pushed the visitors ahead 33-25 with 3:50 to go.
• Alabama's lead bulged to as many as 11 points after a Dazon Ingram long-range hit made it 41-30 with 1:48 remaining in the half. SFA, however, trimmed the Crimson Tide's lead to just 41-34 at the break by concluding the frame on a 4-0 run.
• Davonte Fitzgerald ended the half with a two-handed dunk which was his second and final field goal make of the tilt.
• The 'Jacks held Alabama scoreless through the first 4:06 of the non-conference showdown and forced nine turnovers in the frame. Alabama, however, shot .444/.368/1.000 through the opening frame and hit four more three-pointers than SFA.
• Bogues finished with 17 of the 'Jacks' 34 first-half points.
SECOND HALF
• Looking to build on their seven-point halftime lead, the Crimson Tide drilled five of their first six shots of the deciding frame. That helped Alabama open the stanza on an 11-7 run which was capped by a powerful one-handed dunk from Hall prior to the first media timeout.
• Alabama's lead increased to 12, 57-45, after Ingram laid in a score with 13:44 left. Down 57-45 at that juncture, the 'Jacks turned to Harris to work their way back into things.
• The junior seven straight points during a 9-1 Lumberjack scoring surge that pulled the home team within 58-54 with 11 minutes to go. His step-back three-pointer ended that run before the 'Jacks went scoreless for three minutes.
• During SFA's scoring drought, Alabama got scores from three different players during a 7-0 run to re-up its lead to 65-54.
• Once again, however, Harris and Karl Nicholas provided the response to give SFA a chance. Those two scored four points apiece throughout the course of an 11-3 spree and it was Harris who floated in a score with 5:31 left that trimmed Alabama's lead to 68-65.
• From there, unfortunately, SFA connected on just one field goal throughout the course of the game. Alabama ended things on an 11-4 run to become just the sixth visiting team since 2011-12 to secure a victory inside William R. Johnson Coliseum.
KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• Comeaux's 13 points came in 24 minutes of action off of the bench while Nicholas added 11 on 5-of-14 shooting. Nicholas also added a team-high eight rebounds to go along with two assists and a blocked shot.
• Hall was splendid for the Crimson Tide, finishing with 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. He finished 6-of-7 from the field and also amassed three of Alabama's four blocked shots.
• Norris came off the bench and contributed 14 points on the strength of a 4-of-7 effort from downtown. Tevin Mack also finished with 12 for the Crimson Tide who snapped a five-game losing skid in true road games.
• SFA went 5-of-8 from the free throw line while Alabama finished 14-of-20 from the foul stripe.
COMING UP NEXT
• Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m., the 'Jacks begin Southland Conference play by hosting defending league regular season champion Southeastern Louisiana. The rematch of the 2018 Southland Conference Tournament title game will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
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