'Jacks Battle Bears in Quarterfinal Round of 2018 Southland Conference Tournament

Thursday, March 8

Katy, Texas

7:30 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

#7 Central Arkansas

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'Jacks Battle Bears in Quarterfinal Round of 2018 Southland Conference Tournament

3/7/2018 11:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

SFA and UCA meet in the postseason for the first time as 'Jacks go up against Southland Player of the Year Jordan Howard

By: Charlie Hurley | Director of Athletic Media Relations

OPENING TIPS
• Denied at least a share of the 2017-18 Southland Conference regular season title after finishing one game back of co-champions Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana, the Stephen F. Austin men's basketball team sets its sights on a much more valuable prize Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in Katy, Texas, when the 'Jacks open play in the quarterfinal round of the Southland Conference Tournament against seventh-seeded Central Arkansas at the Leonard E. Merrell Center.
• Two of the remaining six teams still in contention for the lone ticket the gives the bearer an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament berth, the 'Jacks and Bears meet for the 19th time and the first postseason showdown between the two clubs will be narrated by David Saltzman and Jim Haller on ESPN3 and the ESPN app. Lumberjack fans who long for Rob Meyers' description of the action are in luck as the longtim SFA play-by-play man will call the game on Learfield's Lumberjack Sports Network (Q107.7 FM in Nacogdoches, worldwide on the TuneIn app).
• Of the remaining six teams in the Southland Conference Tournament, SFA has nearly as many league tournament titles than the rest of them combined. The 'Jacks have won the Southland Conference Tournament on four occasions while Nicholls (two), Sam Houston State (two) and New Orleans (one) have combined for five wins.
• Over his last five games, Leon Glimore III has come on especially strong for the 'Jacks and leads the team in scoring (16.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.4 rpg). The senior out of Houston, Texas, is shooting 62.5-percent (30-of-48) from the field in his last five outings which includes a 55.6-percent (5-of-9) clip from three-point range.
• In nine of their last 11 games, the 'Jacks have held double-digit halftime leads. As a matter of fact, SFA's average lead at the half in those 11 tilts has been 19.1 points.
• Senior Ty Charles is 5-1 in Southland Conference Tournament games throughout his career thus far. Those five wins are more than any other remaining player in the league tournament has in their career.
• Known for his scoring, Shannon Bogues hasn't let up in that department over the last five games as he is putting in 13.3 points per game, but he has excelled in the passing department over that span. Bogues' assist-to-turnover ration sits at 3.6:1 over SFA's last five outings.

SFA vs. UCA | SERIES HISTORY
Games | 18
All-Time Series | SFA leads 17-1 (.875)
In Nacogdoches, Texas | 9-0 (1.000)
At William R. Johnson Coliseum | 9-0 (1.000)
In Conway, Ark. | 8-1 (.667)
At Farris Center | 8-1 (.667)
Last Win | at SFA 97, UCA 62 (2/21/18)
Last Home Win | at SFA 97, UCA 62 (2/21/18)
Last Road Win | at UCA 85, SFA 90 | OT (2/25/17)
Last Loss | at UCA 100, SFA 92 (1/24/18)
Last Home Loss | n/a
Last Road Loss | at UCA 100, SFA 92 (1/24/18)
Largest Margin of Victory | 51, at UCA 58, SFA 109 (1/13/15)
Largest Margin of Defeat | 8, at UCA 100, SFA 92 (1/24/18)
Current Streak | SFA won one
SFA Points (Avg.) | 1,361 (75.6)
Central Arkansas Points (Avg.) | 1,068 (59.3)
Keller vs. Central Arkansas | 3-1 (.750)
At William R. Johnson Coliseum | 2-0 (1.000)
At Farris Center | 1-1 (.500)
Keller vs. Pennell | 3-1 (.750)
Pennell vs. SFA | 1-6 (.143)
SFA all-time on 3/8 | 4-4 (.500)

'JACKS IN THE SOUTHLAND TOURNAMENT
• 5 | Stephen F. Austin begins its quest for a fifth-ever Southland Conference Tournament title on Thursday evening in Katy, Texas. The 'Jacks have captured the league's championship tournament belt and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on four occasions in the program's history - 2009, 2014, 2015 and 2016
• 22 | The 'Jacks have qualified for the Southland Conference Tournament 22 separate times including each of the last 13 seasons. All-time, SFA has notched a record of 21-17 in SLC Tournament games.
• 10 | After not qualifying for the postseason tournament during its first 10 seasons of existance, the 'Jacks finally broke through in 1991, but it would take three tries before SFA could capture its first win in the league tourney. Ned Fowler became the first SFA coach to notch a victory in the postseason tournament with a 73-72 win over North Texas in the 1995 quarterfinal round.
• 2003 | Year three of the Danny Kaspar era represented the first time the 'Jacks made it all the way to the SLC Tournament Finals, but SFA fell in the title bout that season and in the ensuing campaign, too, before finally hoisting the SLC Tournament trophy with a 68-57 win over UTSA in the 2009 SLC Tournament Finals.
• 9 | In the 13-straight years SFA has been in the Southland Conference Tournament, the 'Jacks have advanced to the semifinals in all but two of those campaigns - 2007 and 2011.
• 2010 | Since 2010, the 'Jacks have advanced to the Southland Conference Tournament finals in all but three seasons. That run includes a stretch of four of the last five seasons
• 6 | Of their 22 all-time appearance in the SLC Tournament, the 'Jacks have entered the tournament fray as the number-one overall seed on six occasions including four of the last five seasons. As the number-one seed, the 'Jacks are 11-2 with one loss each coming in the semifinal and final round.
• Seven | Thursday night's showdown between the 'Jacks and Bears represents SFA's third meeting with a number-seven seed in their Southland Conference Tournament history. Each of the 'Jacks' previous two meetings with seventh-seeded teams resulted in wins for SFA with the most recent one of those triumphs coming in 2012 against Sam Houston State by a 68-46 tally. SFA's average margin of victory over seven seeds in the Southland Conference Tournament is 22.5 points.
• Kyle Keller | Now in his second season as the 'Jacks' head coach, Kyle Keller became just the third SFA bench boss to win a Southland Conference Tournament game in his first try when SFA defeated Lamar in the quarterfinal round last season. He joined Derek Allister (1996-00) and Brad Underwood (2013-16) as the only SFA head coaches who won their first-ever games in the Southland Conference Tournament and with two wins in this year's league tournament he would possess the third-most Southland Conference Tournament wins of any SFA head coach in program history, trailing only Brad Underwood (six) and Danny Kaspar (12).
• Quarterfinals | SFA has compiled a 9-7 record in the quarterfinal round of the Southland Conference Tournament in 16 all-time appearances. Sam Houston State is the opponent the 'Jacks have faced most in the quarterfinal round as the teams have crossed paths three time in that particular round. Next in line are Lamar, McNeese and Northwestern State who the 'Jacks have faced twice each.
• Three | The 2017 Southland Conference Tournament marks the second time that Stephen F. Austin has earned a number-three seed in the annual race for the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. It's the second-straight season that the 'Jacks have locked up the three seed and the seventh-straight season in which SFA has been a top three seed in the postseason tournament. As the three seed, SFA is 1-1 all-time in Southland Conference Tournament action.

SCOUTING CENTRAL ARKANSAS | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• Coaches, players and fans from around the Southland Conference - and the nation - are already well acquainted with UCA senior Jordan Howard who was named the Southland Conference Player of the Year on Monday. The Chandler, Ariz., product leads the Southland and ranks third nationally with a scoring average of 25.8 points per game. A lethal three-point shooter and UCA's all-time leading scorer, he currently leads the league in 13 statistical categories including three-pointers per game (3.35) and free throw percentage (89.6).
• Wednesday night the Bears won their first Southland Conference Tournament game in program history by dispatching sixth-seeded Lamar 67-57. Central Arkansas used an uncharacteristic dose of defense, limiting the Cardinals to their fewest points since Jan. 25 2016 (an 86-52 loss at SFA). It tied the Bears' fewest points allowed to a Southland Conference foe in the 2010s and kept the program's dreams of an NCAA Tournament bid alive.
• Almost a third of UCA's points - 30.5-percent to be precise - come off of three-pointers. The Bears have splashed a league-leading 265 triples and true freshman guard DeAndre Jones ranks eighth in the Southland with a long-range shooting percentage of 40-percent (34-of-85). In all, however, it's Howard who takes most of the long range shots as he has made 107 of UCA's 265 three-pointers.
• One of the leading candidates for Southland Conference Freshman of the Year, Hayden Koval managed to earn a spot on the Southland Conference All-Defensive Team during his first season in Conway. Koval leads the Southland and ranks sixth in the nation with 3.07 blocked shots per game and also averages 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds.
• Unafraid to make the extra pass, Central Arkansas boasts the best assists per game average in the Southland Conference with a mark of 16.5. That's the 26th-highest figure in the nation and leading the way in that category is DeAndre Jones and his 4.5 assists per game.
• The Bears have continued their rise in the Southland Conference, winning a total of 17 games thus far in 2017-18. Those 17 triumphs equal the number of wins Central Arkansas amassed in the three years combined prior to this season and have given the Bears a season of double-digit wins for the first time since 2012-13.

MARCH ON, LEON
• There's something about the month of March that seems to bring out the best of SFA senior forward Leon Gilmore III.
• For his career, the Houston, Texas, product is averaging 9.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, but those numbers spike substantially in the third month of the calendar year.
• Through his six games played in March at SFA, Gilmore III has unquestionably been the team's top player, averaging 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on the strength of 61.3-percent shooting from the field. That field goal percentage includes an impressive .500 (7-of-14) clip from three-point land as well as a free throw percentage of .808 (21-of-26).
• Three of Gilmore III's six double-doubles in an SFA uniform have come in March, too, including one in his most recent Southland Conference Tournament game (20 points, 10 rebounds vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi).

THE FRONT FORTY
• Of the numerous second-year head coaches around NCAA Division I men's basketball, only a few have enjoyed as much success through their short tenures as Kyle Keller has.
• Headed into Thursday night's Southland Conference Tournament quarterfinal game, Keller is one of only five coaches who have accumulated more than 40 wins through nearly two years at their respective institutions.
• SMU's Tim Jankovich tops that list with a 46-20 record while South Dakota State's T.J. Otzelberger and TCU's Jamie Dixon (formerly Pitt's bench boss) are 45-23 nnd 45-25 respectively. Keller is fourth in total wins at 43-21 while Jacksonville State's Ray Harper rounds out the top five with his record of 41-17.

MAGNIFICENT IN MARCH
• March has been a month synonymous with postseason success for SFA since the program's days as an NAIA institution, and that trend has continued well into the 21st century.
• Since the 2010-11 season, SFA has gone 23-7 against Southland Conference competition in the month of March. That works out to a winning percentage of .767.

FOLLOW THE LEADERS
• SFA leads the Southland Conference in nine separate statistical categories including field goal percentage (49.2-percent, 20th nationally), rebounding margin (+3.1, 76th nationally), scoring margin (+13.1, 10th nationally), steals per game (10.5, first nationally), three-point field goal percentage (37.3-percent, 74th nationally), total steals (326, first nationally), turnover margin (+4.7, fourth nationally), turnovers forced per game (20.39, first nationally) and win percentage (80.6, 16th nationally).

ALL WE DO IS WIN
• In at least five of the last six seasons, only nine NCAA Division I men's basketball programs have won 25 or more games and included among that exclusive group is SFA.
• With their victory over Sam Houston State Saturday night, the 'Jacks reached the 25-win plateau for the fifth time in the last six seasons. In that same span, only Arizona, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State, VCU, Villanova and Wichita State have reached 25+ wins in at least five of the last six seasons.

STEAL THE SHOW
• Four 'Jacks - Aaron Augustin, Shannon Bogues, Ivan Canete and John Comeaux - have each racked up 40 or more steals this season and helped the 'Jacks lead the nation in steals per game and total steals.
• The only other DI program that boasts four players with 40+ steals is fellow Southland school Nicholls. Three other programs - Georgia State, Purdue and Kansas State - have three players who have accumulated 40 or more steals this season.

LAST TIME OUT
• Led by a spectacular shooting performance by senior Leon Gilmore III, the 'Jacks closed out their regular season schedule by jumping out to a massive lead at Sam Houston State and cruising to a 65-53 victory over the Bearkats in Huntsville last Saturday night.
• In the final regular season game of his career, Gilmore III hit the first four three-pointers he attempted, all of which helped the 'Jacks jump out to a 30-8 lead over the first 15:14 of the game. Those four three-pointers were a career-high for the Houston, Texas, product, and doubled his three-point field goal total for the 2017-18 campaign.
• By the time the clock hit all zeroes, Gilmore III had reset his career high by finishing with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field. Other career-bests for Gilmore III in the win included his four three-pointers as well as four blocked shots - the most rejections in a game by an SFA player this season.
• As well as leading the 'Jacks in scoring, blocked shots and steals (two), Gilmore III put the finishing touches on his team-best fourth double-double of the season by reaching for a game-high 11 rebounds.
• For the third time in as many meetings, Sam Houston State's inability to hit three-pointers came back to bite the Bearkats. For the game, Sam Houston State went only 1-of-17 (5.9-percent) from long range and in their last three meetings with SFA (all losses), the Bearkats are just 8-of-59 (13.6-percent) from downtown.
• With the victory, the 'Jacks became the first - and only - Southland Conference team to defeat the Bearkats inside Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum during the 2017-18 campaign. Sam Houston State came into Saturday's rivalry tilt undefeated on their home court in league play (8-0) and in possession of a nine-game Southland Conference winning streak at home.
• Whether or not the 'Jacks won or lost in Huntsville, they were assured a top-four seed for the Southland Conference Tournament. With the victory, however, SFA earned the third-seed for the second-straight season while the Bearkats entered the league's postseason tournament as the number-four seed.
• Junior Shannon Bogues joined Gilmore III in double-digits, finishing with 15 on 5-of-14 shooting. The Killeen, Texas, product slung in a trio of three-pointers in the victory and has 12 points at the half. Gilmore III also has 12 points after the first 20 minutes of play and together that SFA duo outscored the Bearkats 24-16 in the first frame.
• The 16 first-half points scored by the Bearkats represented the lowest first-half point total by an SFA opponent in the 2017-18 campaign. It also tied a Kyle Keller-coaching era season low for opponent points in a first half as the 'Jacks previously held Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to 16 first-half points on Jan. 11, 2017.
• SFA's victory was the first for Keller over the Bearkats in Huntsville and made the 'Jacks 16-1 against Sam Houston State in their last 17 meetings. With the win, Keller improved to 3-1 against Sam Houston State and now has exactly as many wins in the rivalry series as Sam Houston State head coach Jason Hooten does. Hooten, however, is now 3-17 against SFA.
• With the win, SFA can once again claim to be the most dominant its status as the nation's most dominant team in conference play in the nation since 2012-13. Since that season the 'Jacks have gone 95-13 in Southland Conference play, good for a nation-leading win percentage of .880 in that span. Sitting just behind SFA in that category is Wichita State who has gone 94-14 (.870) while playing in the American Athletic Conference and the Missouri Valley Conference in that same span.
• Below is a full breakdown of where Stephen F. Austin's points came from in its Southland Conference regular season finale at Sam Houston State:
Two-pointers | 49.2% (32-65)
Three-pointers | 36.9% (24-65)
Free throws | 13.8% (9-65)
Points in the paint | 36.9% (24-65)
Points off turnovers | 18.5% (12-65)
Second chance points | 16.9% (11-65)
Fast break points | 3.1% (2-65)
Starters points | 64.6% (42-65)
Bench Points | 35.4% (23-65)

COMING UP NEXT
• Should the 'Jacks get by the Bears on Thursday night, they'd advance to the semifinal round of the Southland Conference Tournament for the seventh-straight season. Waiting for them there would be second-seeded Nicholls for a 7:30 p.m. showdown on Friday night.

-SFA-