Stephen F. Austin
25-6
#2 Nicholls
21-10
Bogues' Offense, SFA's Defense Major Keys in 78-66 Win over Nicholls in SLC Tourney Semifinals
3/9/2018 11:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SFA advances to Southland Conference Tournament finals Saturday night against Southeastern Louisiana
KATY, Texas - Facing off against the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year in Nicholls' Roddy Peters -who was led by the Southland Conference Coach of the Year Richie Riley - SFA used the offensive power of its own league newbie to burn the Southland Conference regular co-champion, putting the 'Jacks just one win away from a return trip to the Big Dance.
Shannon Bogues put on a splendid scoring show by netting a game-high 27 points, Ty Charles added 17 more and junior TJ Holyfield helmed an SFA defensive effort that turned back a late charge by the Colonels and sent the 'Jacks to the Southland Conference Tournament finals with a 78-66 victory over Nicholls Friday night.
For the second time in as many night, SFA was tasked with halting another high-octane offense that averaged over 80 points per game. Through the first half, it was abundantly clear the 'Jacks were up to that challenge. Holding the Colonels almost 20 points below their season average, SFA allowed their Louisiana foes to hit only 19.2-percent (6-of-31) of their first-half shots.
"What pleased me the most tonight was the will and the want to battle by our team tonight." said SFA head coach Kyle Keller who will coach in his first Southland Conference Tournament title game Saturday night.
Said Charles regarding SFA's defensive effort, "It was a pride game. The way I felt after losing to [Texas A&M-] Corpus Christi in the semifinals last season stayed with me and I never want to feel like that again. We just got stops and played as a team."
Charles hit two of the 'Jacks' three triples and despite drilling only 18.8-percent (3-of-18) of those downtown tries, SFA's defense proved to be the x-factor. Holyfield put in 11 points and added a team-high 11 rebounds to complete his double-double, but the Albuquerque, N.M., product's masterful interior defense was the true story.
Holyfield finished with a career-high eight blocked shots - becoming SFA's all-time leading shot blocker in the process - and although Peters finished with 26 points and a game-best 12 rebounds nothing came easy with Holyfield and company making things miserable for the Colonels.
Nicholls secured its only lead of the game after Peters located long-range specialist Lafayette Rutledge wide open in the far corner. Rutledge canned that three-pointer, but it was one of just three triples the Colonels swished during the opening 20 minutes of action.
Showing off his long-distance shooting abilities, Charles answered with triple on consecutive possessions as part of an 8-0 Lumberjack surge to answer Rutledge's three-point make. Armed with the lead, the 'Jacks turned to their defense to make sure they wouldn't give it up.
A ferocious man-to-man defensive effort coupled with a gang rebounding mentality worked wonder for the 'Jacks when the ball wasn't in their hands as SFA made the Colonels start the game with a miserable 2-of-21 (9.5-percent) accuracy rate from the floor.
Included among that early defensive clinic was a period of 6:29 in which the 'Jacks did not allow Nicholls to put in a field goal. Charles capped a 13-2 SFA surge with a put-back layup with 8:19 left in the half that pushed the third seed's lead to 15, 24-9, before the search parties Nicholls sent out for its missing offense picked up a trail.
With no other Colonel enjoying an effective night from the field, Rutledge dragged his team back into the game by netting nine of Nicholls' 13 points on the Colonels' 13-6 run that trimmed the 'Jacks' lead to eight, 30-22, with 3:55 left in the frame.
Bogues' offensive game was one thing the Colonels were never able to stop, however, as SFA's junior netted the 'Jacks' last nine points of the first half. That personal scoring burst included a short jumper with 25 ticks left that sent SFA to their locker room with a 37-27 lead at the break.
Three-point plays by Kevon Harris and Charles started the second half for the 'Jacks, but the Colonels' resilient attitude shined through to the final buzzer. Bogues capped a 10-1 Lumberjack surge by hammering down a fast-break slam that put SFA up 55-37 with 11:31 left. With that, Keller implored his team to use that throwdown as an ignition spark that would help SFA bury Nicholls.
Whatever Nicholls head coach Richie Riley directed his squad to to on the opposite bench, however, was a little more effective. The Colonels bounded out of their timeout and clocked SFA with a 17-4 run which included a four-point play from Rutledge, a one-handed dunk from Peters and a transition triple off the mitts of Kevin Johnson which cut SFA's once sizable lead down to five, 59-54, with 6:41 left.
Needing offense of any kind to quiet the riotous brigade of cajuns who made the trek to Katy and stood cheering near Nicholls' bench, Charles started a 10-2 SFA run that spanned the next 3:18 with a pair of free throw makes. Holyfield and Canete each drilled a mid-range jumper through the surge which was capped by a driving two-handed slam from Holyfield.
Up 69-56 with 3:02 left, SFA closed things out by hitting six of its nine free throw tries in the closing minutes of the game while holding the Colonels to just two field goal makes in the final 5:57.
Rutledge finished with 24 points on 6-of-19 shooting and added three of the Colonels' 11 steals.
The only thing standing in the way of the 'Jacks and a fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last five seasons is top-seeded and Southland Conference regular season co-champion Southeastern Louisiana. Those two teams will meet in the Southland Conference Tournament finals for the first time at 8:00 p.m. Saturday night. The game will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN2.
-SFA-
