SFA Heads to Houston for Tuesday Night Battle with Rice

Tuesday, November 11

Houston, Texas

7:00 P.M.

Stephen F. Austin

Rice

SFA Heads to Houston for Tuesday Night Battle with Rice

11/10/2025 4:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Watch Live Stats Tickets

‘Jacks meet Owls for first time since 2017

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – An in-state matchup, the first of the season for Stephen F. Austin men's basketball, awaits on Tuesday night inside Tudor Fieldhouse as the 'Jacks battle Rice of the American. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The action will be streamed live on ESPN+ and additional live coverage links are available at www.SFAjacks.com.

LAST TIME OUT

Stephen F. Austin never trailed on Friday night inside William R. Johnson Coliseum as the Lumberjacks used a hot start, a tough effort inside throughout and a pesky presence along the perimeter to run past Arkansas State, Sunbelt Conference preseason No. 2, 90-65
SFA used a 12-0 run over the opening 2:30 of play to shell shock the Red Wolves behind a suffocating effort defensively, an and-1 from Chrishawn Christmas and two Kameron Burton triple tries
Glass control was a key to the victory as Christmas grabbed ten total rebounds with seven on the offensive end and Jerald Colonel followed with six of his 11 resulting in new possessions. The 'Jacks outrebounded the Red Wolves 49-30 finishing +9 in offensive boards
ASU shot just 18.5% (5-for-27) from three-point range, while the 'Jacks finished +14 in paint points, +8 in points off turnovers and +15 in second chance points

BUCKET GETTER

Senior guard Keon Thompson was honored by the Southland Conference as the league's first men's basketball player of the week; an honor that followed Thompson's tabbing as the Lou Henson National Mid-Major Player of the Week
In two wins, Thompson averaged 23.0 points including a 26-point performance against Arkansas State
He shot 57.6% (19-of-33) from the floor and .333 (3-of-9) from three-point range
Thompson averaged 5.0 boards, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steal
Thompson is currently rated with a top 35 scoring average which rates third in the SLC
His 19 made field goals through two games are an SLC best

Take a bow, Keon!

Your Lou Henson National Mid-Major Player of the Week! ??#AxeEm x #WinTogether pic.twitter.com/uUwba45tjh
— SFA Men's Basketball (@SFA_MBB) November 10, 2025

IN THE SEASON'S EARLY GOING…

Jerald Colonel is leading the country in blocks per game at 5.0, while his ten total blocks are the second-most nationally
Five 'Jacks are averaging double figures in scoring (Thompson, Patrick, Colonel, Chotikavanic, Scurry)
Chrishawn Christman leads the league and ranks fifth nationally in offensive rebounds with 5.0 per game
Christmas' effort has powered SFA to a 19.5 offensive boards per game which rates tenth in the country
Lateef Patrick Jr. is averaging a top 25 mark in made threes per game at 4.00
The 'Jacks rank inside the DI top 35 in rebound margin (+17) and hold a top 40 blocks per game rate (6.0)

LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD

The 'Jacks have scored 193 points through the first two games of the season marking the most through two contests to start a campaign since the 2010-11 season

RICE RUNDOWN

Rice was picked 12^th in the American's preseason coaches poll
The Owls are 1-1 on the season with a 109-38 season-opening victory against College of Biblical Studies at home and a four-point loss at (RV) Oregon
Rice currently carries a top 10 field goal percentage defense nationally at 29.8%
The Owls are connecting on 11.5 three-point shots per game with Jalen Smith averaging four
Three Owls have handled the scoring load early on with Smith pacing at 16.0 ppg, Trae Broadnax following at 15.0 and Nick Anderson adding 14.0
Stephen Giwa is averaging 10.5 rebounds per game
Cam Carroll currently ranks 14^th in Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio at 9.00

SERIES HISTORY VS. RICE

The 'Jacks and the Owls meet for the 20^th time and for the first time since 2017
The home team has won the last eight matchups, a streak that dates to 1953
The first matchup took place in Nacogdoches in 1933 with SFA winning 36-24
The Lumberjacks lead the all-time series 12-7

SEASON-OPENER SUCCESS

The 'Jacks have now won nine straight season openers since their last season-opening loss at #2 Kentucky to tip off the 2016-17 season
The win, in the first meeting all-time with Millsaps, pushed the Lumberjacks' win streak in home openers to 27 games
SFA's 103 points are the most in a season opener since dropping 114 on Howard Payne to begin the 2010-11 campaign

NEW 'JACKS ON THE BLOCK

Eleven Lumberjacks made their SFA debuts in the season-opening win against Millsaps
Patrick scored 18 points, all from beyond-the-arc, in his first action for SFA and Jerald Colonel followed with 13 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, one assist and a steal
Of the 11 new 'Jacks that saw the court, Marcus Scurry and Bryceson Melvin made their collegiate debuts
Scurry dropped 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting with two made threes in 21 minutes of work to go along with an assist
Melvin saw nine minutes of action and delivered his first career bucket in addition to grabbing four rebounds

UP NEXT
SFA is back inside WRJ for a second-straight Friday Night matchup. Abilene Christian comes to town for an 8 p.m. tip-off on November 14. The 'Jacks hold the all-time series lead over the Wildcats at 20-16. SFA has won two straight against ACU and is 3-2 in the previous five meetings which followed a nine-game win streak by the 'Jacks.

BRAEUER GETS HIS FIRST
First-year head coach Matt Braeuer earned his first career win against Millsaps

99 SEASONS FAST FACTS
*70 seasons with an overall record north of .500
*31 seasons of 20 or more wins
*5 NCAA Tournament appearances
*2 seasons of 30 or more wins

AXES SHARPENED IN PINEY WOODS BATTLE
An exhibition edition of the hardwood version of the Battle of the Piney Woods took place in Houston on October 25 and it was the Lumberjacks that outlasted their Conference USA opposition in overtime beating longtime foe Sam Houston State 105-100 in the extra period. SFA shot over 51% from the floor, withstood a 59-point second-half effort by the Bearkats who erased a 15-point deficit at the intermission and used a 43-point outburst, including a perfect 19-of-19 from the stripe, by Thompson to claim the unofficial victory in a series that was first contested in 1925.

SLC VIRTUAL MEDIA DAY
Head coach Matt Braeuer and senior guard Keon Thompson joined the Field of 68 on October 27 as part of the SLC's Virtual Media Day. The interview is available on-demand here.

CUE THE MUSIC
CBS Sports announced a slate of five Southland Conference men's basketball matchups that will be featured on the network this coming season and among the showcased contests is a January 26 matchup between the 'Jacks and cross-border rival Northwestern State inside William R. Johnson Coliseum.

SEASON THEMES & PROMOTIONS
A dozen dynamic nights designed for fan engagement and to pack out WRJ with Lumberjack spirit are on tap during the 2025-26 season. From classic promotions like "Cram the Coliseum" and "Purple Out" to new favorites such as "Dance Hall Night" and "Social Media Night," this season's lineup promises a high-energy experience for fans of all ages. For a full list of game themes and promotions, visit here.

SECURE YOUR SEATS TODAY
Single game tickets and five-game flex plans for the remaining 14 SFA men's basketball home matchups are available for purchase now. Fans interested in purchasing season ticket packages can secure their seats here. Don't miss out on all the exciting action inside William R. Johnson Coliseum this season!

THE 'JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.

FOLLOW THE LUMBERJACKS
For all the latest information on SFA men's basketball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Lumberjacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.

#AxeEm x #WinTogether