SFA Wraps Up Utah Roadtrip Against Thunderbirds

Saturday, January 13

Cedar City, UT

7:30 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

Southern Utah University

SFA Wraps Up Utah Roadtrip Against Thunderbirds

1/13/2024 12:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Jace Green, Assistant for Strategic Communications

CEDAR CITY, Utah- The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks will wrap up their two-game road trip in Utah today, when they travel to America First Events Center to take on Southern Utah.  Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.

Series History:

This will be the fourth matchup between the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds.  SFA is 0-3 in the series, dating back to Southern Utah's 85-60 win over the Lumberjacks in the 1990-91 season.  Since joining the WAC in 2021, SFA is 0-1 against SUU.  The Lumberjacks lost the most recent matchup 67-58, in Cedar City, Utah last season.

A Look at SFA:

The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks fell to the Utah Tech Trailblazers 75-70 in St. George, Utah. The loss snapped the Lumberjacks five game winning streak. SFA is 10-6 overall and 3-2 in Western Athletic Conference play.  In the first five minutes of the first half, Utah Tech went 6-for-7 (85.7%) from the field, 4-for-4 from the three-point line and held a 16-7 lead over SFA.  After twelve minutes of play, Frank Staine remained Stephen F. Austin's leading scorer, with eight points.  AJ Cajuste's 11 straight points for SFA cut the Lumberjack's deficit to 72-70 with :31.6 remaining in the game.  SFA was unable to close out the game and fell 75-70 to the Trailblazers.

Sadaidriene Hall finished as the Lumberjack's leading scorer with his 18-point performance, on 8-for-11 (72.7%) shooting from the field.  Frank Staine (13) and AJ Cajuste (16) also posted double-digit performances for SFA.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS...SFA is currently third in the NCAA for bench points per game (1st in WAC). The Lumberjack's bench is currently averaging 38.75 points per game. Stephen F. Austin is coming off a 16-point performance from their bench against the Utah Tech Trailblazers. SFA's bench was led by Nana Antwi-Boasiako's nine points.

SFA currently ranks number one in the WAC in six different statistical categories. The 'Jacks are first in bench points (38.75, 3rd NCAA), first in fastbreak points (13.88, 49th NCAA) first in offensive rebounding per game (13.69, 22nd NCAA), first in rebounds per game (39.06, 74th NCAA) first in steals per game (10.3, 11th NCAA), and first in turnovers forced per game (18.69, 2nd NCAA).

Sadaidriene Hall is the leading scorer for the Lumberjacks. He is currently averaging 10.8 points per game on 52.2% shooting from the field.  Hall also leads the team in rebounding with his 5.1 rebounds per game.

A Look at SUU:

Utah Tech is currently 5-10 (0-4 WAC) and is ranked 11th in the WAC. The Thunderbirds have lost four of their last six matchups.  Their last two games were conference showdowns in which they took losses to Utah Valley (80-62) and Grand Canyon (96-75).

In their loss to Utah Valley, Southern Utah was led by Zion Young's 17-point performance.  Parsa Fallah (14) and Dominique Ford (12) also put-up double-digit performances for the Thunderbirds.

Southern Utah is led by Dominique Ford.  He currently averages 15.1 points per game and is one of four players averaging double-digit scoring for the Thunderbirds.  Parsa Fallah (14.8), Braden Housley (13.3), and Zion Young (13.1) are also reliable scorers for SUU.  The Thunderbirds are averaging 76.7 points per game on 43.6% shooting from the field.

Upcoming for the 'Jacks:
The Lumberjacks return home for four straight home games beginning with Seattle (1/18), followed by Grand Canyon (1/25), Cal Baptist (1/27), and Utah Valley (2/1).

Tickets for all home games are available at WWW.SFATICKETS.com. Follow the Lumberjack on ESPN+ or listen on Q107.7 FM radio with the "Voice of the Lumberjacks" Rob Meyers calling all the action.