Stephen F. Austin
12-9
Houston Baptist
7-14
Bain and Harris Will 'Jacks to 79-77 Comeback Win at Houston Baptist
2/6/2019 9:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Junior pumps in career-high 35, puts in game winning free throws with 13 seconds left
HOUSTON - Historically speaking, February 6 has been the day when the SFA men's basketball team gets an incredible performance by a single player to defeat Houston Baptist inside Sharp Gym.
On February 6, 2016, it was Thomas Walkup up put in 35 to lift the 'Jacks to victory.
This time, it was junior Kevon Harris who did 'em dirty.
Harris capped off a career-best 35-point output by putting in three free throws in the final 13 seconds - the second of which broke a 77-77 tie - to help the 'Jacks erase a 12-point second-half deficit and lay claim to a 79-77 Southland Conference victory Wednesday night.
Playing with four fouls through a good portion of the deciding frame, Harris added six rebounds as well as a team-high five assists for an SFA club that found a way to win despite finishing -10 in rebounding (44-34).
Also coming up huge was junior Nathan Bain. The Freeport, Bahamas, product put forth one of the finest outings of his career, amassing a career-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. It was Bain's steal - his third of the game - with 17 seconds to go that resulted in Harris heading to the charity stripe to sink the game-winning foul shots.
FIRST HALF
• Coming out of the gates looking to make a statement, the 'Jacks did just that by netting the game's first six points through the first 1:16 of the Southland tilt.
• Following that run, the Huskies went on one of their own to take the lead. Four different Houston Baptist players netted points during the hosts' 10-0 surge. Jalon Gates ended the run by swishing a trio of free throws that put the 'Jacks at a 10-6 disadvantage with 14:14 left in the frame.
• The Huskies' lead grew as large as six points, 22-16, after Gates converted on a layup at the 8:23 mark.
• SFA continued to play from behind until Harris led it on a 6-0 run. It was the junior's fast break layup with 4:31 left that pushed the visitors ahead for the first time since their opening surge.
• Through the remainder of the frame, the teams traded buckets with Gates' tiebreaking three-pointer with 31 ticks let serving as the bucket that handed the home team the lead at the break.
• Bogues put the finishing touches on a seven-point half by splitting a pair at the foul line with 5.5 seconds left. That allowed SFA to remain within two, 41-39, at the half.
• Gates came off the bench and dropped in 11 for the Huskies while DuBose pumped in 10 to help the home team own the lead at the break.
• Though the 'Jacks shot better overall from the field than the Huskies (48.6-percent to 40-percent), it was the hosts' more accurate three-point stroke and free throw shooting that helped them own the lead. Houston Baptist went 5-of-11 (45.5-percent) from deep and connected on eight of its 13 tries from the foul line.
SECOND HALF
• Harris came on strong early in the deciding frame, putting in a pair of free throws on the 'Jacks' first possession to tie matters at 41-all. A three-point play by Bogues handed the visitors their only other lead of the frame, 44-43, before the Huskies made a bid to put SFA in the trash.
• Ian DuBose and Stephen O'Suji scored all but four points during a 14-0 Houston Baptist run that helped the hosts open up a 56-44 edge with 15:14 remaining. Finally, Bain put a stop to that run by lacing his lone three-pointer of the night with 15:09 left.
• The Huskies, though, maintained their double-digit lead until the midway point of the frame. Harris pulled SFA within eight points, 62-54, with 9:49 left.
• Unfortunately, SFA was not allowed to get any closer for a time after that. O'Suji rattled home a mid-range jumper with 5:10 left that put the Huskies ahead 71-60. From that point on, however, SFA outscored Houston Baptist 19-6 the rest of the way.
• Mitchell Seraille started that game-clinching run by putting back a missed three-pointer by Davonte Fitzgerald. After that, Bain and Harris took over.
• That duo put in 15 of SFA's 19 points during the game-clinching surge with Bain providing a number of highlight-reel finishes before Harris' game-winning stroke at the foul line. Bain somehow finished a tough runner in the paint that cut the Huskies' lead to 75-73 with 1:32 left, but the best was yet to come.
• With 41 ticks remaining, Bain corralled a missed three-pointer by Samuli Nieminen and converted a put-back layup while getting fouled and falling to the ground. After hitting the free throw, that set the stage for his important steal with seconds left.
• Houston Baptist had a chance to put in a go-ahead basket, but Bogues stepped in front of a driving O'Suji and drew an offensive foul with nine seconds left, giving the ball back to SFA.
• Harris split a pair at the foul line and Gates' game-tying try from downtown at the horn fell short.
KEY PERFORMERS/STATISTICS OF NOTE
• In an interesting statistical anomaly, Harris became the second-consecutive SFA men's basketball player to score 35 points against Houston Baptist on February 6 inside Sharp Gymnasium. On Feb. 6, 2016, Thomas Walkup put in 35 points in SFA's 72-66 win over the Huskies.
• DuBose finished with a team-high 18 points for the Huskies and totaled three of the team's nine steals. O'Suji passed out a game-high nine assists, nearing double-double territory with his 12 points.
• Bogues extended his streak of double-digit scoring games to 22 with his 10-point outing.
• Harris' 35-point outing was his third game of 30+ points this season. He now has four 30+ point games in his collegiate career.
COMING UP NEXT
• For the first time in the month of February, SFA enters its home facility of William R. Johnson Coliseum in order to take part in a game. That will happen on Saturday afternoon when the 'Jacks play host to Southland Conference adversary Lamar at 4:30 p.m. ESPN3 and the ESPN app will broadcast all the action and Saturday's game will also feature a Fan Fest tailgate and coincides with the SFA basketball Alumni Reunion.
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