Stephen F. Austin
Northwestern State
'Jacks Head to Natchitoches in Search of Revenge against Northwestern State
2/14/2019 2:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SFA remains in fifth place in league standings with seven regular season games to go
Game Twenty-Four
SFA (13-10, 6-5 Southland) at Northwestern State (9-16, 4-8 Southland)
Saturday, Feb. 16 | 3:30 p.m. | Prather Coliseum (3,900) | Natchitoches, La.
Tickets | Watch (ESPN+/ESPN app) | Listen (Q107.7/TuneIn) | Live Stats | SFA Game Notes | Northwestern State Game Notes
Play-by-Play/Analysis (ESPN+) | Sean Kelley/Jordy Hultberg
Play-by-Play/Analysis (Q107.7) | Rob Meyers
THE OPENING TIP
• Still just 2.5 games back of the second-place spot in the Southland Conference standings with seven regular season games to go, the SFA men's basketball team sets out on a journey to Natchitoches, La., for a Saturday afternoon showdown with age-old Pelican State rival Northwestern State.
• The 131st meeting between the 'Jacks and Demons will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with the duo of Jordy Hultberg and Sean Kelley on the call. Over the airwaves on the Learfield/IMG College Lumberjack Sports Network, Rob Meyers will narrate the action on Q107.7 FM in Nacogdoches. His call can also be accessed on the TuneIn app.
• Continuing to lead the way for SFA on the offensive end is the big three of Shannon Bogues (17.0 ppg), Davonte Fitzgerald (12.3 ppg) and Kevon Harris (18.3 ppg). That trio has been responsible of 67.1-percent of the 'Jacks' total scoring load this season, netting 1,094 of the team's 1,629 total points.
• Harris leads both the team and the Southland in scoring at a clip of 18.3 points per game. The junior out of Ellenwood, Ga., also tops the list of players in the 13-team league in conference-only scoring by pumping in points at a rate of 22.7 per outing in league action.
• The free throw line is where Harris has done the majority of his damage through the last three games. In that span, the junior has gone 35-of-42 (83.3-percent) from the stripe and has hit and attempted 10 or more freebies in each of those contests. Harris' individual three-game free throw shooting numbers are better than no fewer than four NCAA Division I men's basketball teams during that same span (Holy Cross, 12-23 | New Hampshire, 22-of-36 | Cal Poly, 27-of-41 | Nicholls, 25-of-39).
LAST TIME OUT
• SFA went on a 22-10 run through the final 9:08 in order to buck the upset try of McNeese and claimed a 67-57 victory over the Cowboys inside William R. Johnson Coliseum Wednesday night.
• The 'Jacks' win over McNeese in the Coliseum was SFA's 13th in a row over their longtime Southland Conference rivals in Nacogdoches.
• Kevon Harris pumped in a game-high 22 points and finished one rebound shy of a double-double by adding a team-best nine rebounds.
• Both Shannon Bogues and Davonte Fitzgerald added 14 points apiece for SFA who won its second-straight over McNeese.
• Despite an off night from three-point land (the 'Jacks went only 2-of-15 from long range), SFA used a +12 advantage in free throw tries to get the job done. Harris went 10-of-11 from the stripe while Bogues stepped to the line a career-high 13 times and sank eight.
• Fitzgerald laced both of the 'Jacks' three-pointers in the win and in his first game in an SFA uniform as a non-starter the Atlanta, Ga., product drilled six of his eight tries (75-percent) from the field.
• In addition to their timely free throw shooting, the 'Jacks used a dose of devastating defensive execution to limit the Cowboys' effectiveness. McNeese did not hit a field goal for the game's final 12:15.
• With his 22 point outing, Harris hiked his career scoring total to 1,179 and moved past current SFA assistant coach Desmond Haymon for 19th place on SFA's all-time scoring list.
SFA vs. NORTHWESTERN STATE | SERIES HISTORY
Overall vs. Northwestern State | 63-67 (.485)
In Nacogdoches, Texas | 38-22 (.633)
At William R. Johnson Coliseum | 20-14 (.588)
In Natchitoches, La. | 22-38 (.367)
At Prather Coliseum | 17-19 (.472)
At neutral sites | 2-6 (.250)
Last meeting | NSU 61, at SFA 59 | Jan. 12, 2019
Last SFA win | February 10, 2018 | 97-50
Last SFA home win | February 10, 2018 | 97-50
Last SFA road win | January 6, 2018 | 64-56
Last NSU win | Jan. 12, 2019 | 61-59
Last NSU home win | January 26, 2013 | 61-57
Last NSU road win | Jan. 12, 2019 | 61-59
Largest margin of victory (SFA) | 47 | 97-50 on Feb. 10, 2018
Largest margin of defeat (SFA) | 27 | 97-70 on Feb. 20, 1999
Current Streak | NSU won one
Last five games | 3-2 (.600)
Last five home games | 3-2 (.600)
Last five away games | 5-0 (1.000)
Last 10 games | 8-2 (.800)
Last 10 home games | 7-3 (.700)
Last 10 away games | 9-1 (.900)
SFA points | average | 8,483 | 65.3
NSU points | average | 8,376 | 64.4
Average scoring margin | +0.9
Keller vs. Northwestern State | 3-2 (.600)
At William R. Johnson Coliseum | 1-2 (.333)
At Prather Coliseum | 2-0 (1.000)
Keller vs. McConathy | 3-2 (.600)
McConathy vs. SFA | 16-23 (.410)
SFA all-time on Feb. 16 | 13-9 (.591)
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN STATE | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• Five of Northwestern State's nine wins have come on the floor of Prather Coliseum, but following a 66-61 triumph over Southland foe McNeese on Saturday, Jan. 5 the Demons have dropped four straight games inside the hangar-like structure. In all, Northwestern State is 1-5 in home Southland games this season.
• Headed into their matchup with SFA in Nacogdoches on Saturday, Jan. 12, the Demons had gone just 2-20 on the road since the start of the 2017-18 season. A buzzer-beating win over SFA, however, sparked a road resurgence for the Demons who three of their last six outings away from Natchitoches. Those three road wins are the most by the team since winning five in the 2016-17 campaign.
• Reigning Southland Conference Player of the Week Ishmael Lane represents the Demons' top threat in just about every statistical category. The senior averages 13.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game - both of which lead the team - and has put forth a double-double effort in seven of his last eight outings. His streak of seven-straight was snapped at Lamar Wednesday night when he finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
• With Lane leading the way, the Demons are one of the nation's top shot-blocking teams. Northwestern State averages a Southland Conference-best 4.4 rejections per game which ranks 51st among all NCAA Division I men's basketball teams. Lane's individual average of 2.08 per game leads the Southland and ranks 31st in the land.
• Northwestern State remains the only current Southland Conference team who owns an above-.500 all-time record against SFA. After their victory over SFA in January, the Demons are 67-63 (.515) in 130 all-time matchups against the 'Jacks.
COMING UP NEXT
• Two of the 'Jacks' final three games in the month of February will take place in Texas' oldest town and the first of those games takes place Wednesday evening inside William R. Johnson Coliseum. At 6:30 p.m., SFA crosses paths with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for the only time in the regular season. That game will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
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