Cali Calls for Lumberjacks with Tuesday Night Tilt at Fresno State Up First

Tuesday, November 18

Fresno, Calif.

8:00 PM

Stephen F. Austin

Fresno State

Photo by: Jordan Segelken

Cali Calls for Lumberjacks with Tuesday Night Tilt at Fresno State Up First

11/17/2025 7:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Watch (Mountain West Network)Live Stats

SFA, Fresno State meet for first time as ‘Jacks look to remain unbeaten in ’25-26 against 3-2 Bulldogs of the Mountain West Conference

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – A swing out West looms for Stephen F. Austin this week as the first of two stops in California takes the Lumberjacks to Fresno State for a Tuesday night tilt with the Bulldogs. Tip-off from inside Save Mart Center is set for 8 p.m. CT. The action will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network and additional live coverage links are available at www.SFAjacks.com.

LAST TIME OUT

'Jacks engaged in a physical battle with Abilene Christian inside William R. Johnson Coliseum winning 76-66 for the third straight victory over the Wildcats and the 21^st in 37 all-time meetings
Leading by five at 69-64 with 1:49 to play, the 'Jacks engineered a stop out of a timeout and on the other end of the floor, Narit Chotikavanic delivered the dagger as Keon Thompson found the former at the right elbow and a quick trigger tickled twine as the SFA lead grew to eight with 65 seconds to play
That moment served as the climatic end to a contest that featured nine lead changes and eight tied scores
Chotikavanic hit 5-of-7 from beyond-the-arc in the first half and hit all three of his attempts in the final twenty minutes

EYE FOR FIVE

The 'Jacks are off to the program's first 4-0 start to a season since 2019-20, while a win over Fresno State would give first-year head coach Matt Braeuer's squad SFA's first five-game winning streak to commence a season since 2012-13

LET IT FLY

In SFA's hard-fought home win over ACU, sophomore Narit Chotikavanic shot 80% from beyond-the-arc becoming the first 'Jack since 2017, the second since 2000 and just the fifth all-time, to hit eight three-pointers in a game
Chotikavanic hit 5-of-7 from range in the first half and netted all three of his attempts in the final twenty minutes
His eight made threes are currently tied for the most by a player in the Southland Conference this season

MAKING NOISE

For the second-consecutive week, the Lumberjacks are receiving votes in the CollegeInsider.Com Men's Mid Major Top 25
SFA accounts for the seventh-most points (51) among teams not in the top 25 putting the 'Jacks at No. 32 nationally if the poll extended out
That's the third-highest ranking of any Southland Conference team behind No. 22 McNeese and No. 25 New Orleans

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TRACKER
Keon Thompson vs. Abilene Christian (11/14/25) – 15 pts, 12 reb

BUCKET GETTER

Senior guard Keon Thompson was honored by the Southland Conference as the league's first men's basketball player of the week following the first week of action this season; 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

THE 'JACKS HAVE

Produced top 25 DI marks in three-point percentage (42.6%) and three-pointers per game (11.5) through four games
Connected on double-digit three-point attempts in every game, including a season-high 13 against ACU
Three players (Chotikavanic, Burton, Patrick) shooting 45% or better in 20+ attempts from three-point range, while Thompson is triggering in at 41.7% in a dozen shots
Allowed no more than six made attempts from beyond-the-arc by their opponents
Delivered a dozen assists or more in each of their first four games

IN THE SEASON'S EARLY GOING…

Jerald Colonel ranks second nationally in blocks (17) and blocks per game (4.25) ranking behind only Providence's Oswin Erhunmwunse
Colonel leads the league with 8.3 rebounds per game, ranks second with 33 total rebounds and is third in both offensive (3.50) and defensive boards (5.00) per game in the SLC
Chotikavanic ranks inside the country's top 25 in three-pointers per game (3.75) and total three pointers made (15)
Thompson's 33 made field goals are inside the nation's top 15
Thompson holds a top 30 national scoring average of 22.0 ppg which rates second in the SLC
Lateef Patrick holds a top 10 scoring average among SLC shooters at 16.0 ppg

KEN POM

Through four games and as of November 16, the 'Jacks are rated 139^th in the Pomeroy Ratings
SFA is the second-highest ranked SLC team behind McNeese which rates at 95^th
Among the metrics, the 'Jacks are 113^th in adjusted defensive efficiency
Fresno State enters the first meeting with SFA at 183rd, a single spot behind SLC-member Incarnate Word

FRESNO STATE RUNDOWN

The Bulldogs are 3-2 on the season, with all five games contested at home
Fresno State has wins over Fresno Pacific, Long Beach State and most recently Utah Valley with losses to USC-Upstate and UC San Diego
The Bulldogs are led by head coach Vance Walberg who is in his first season at FSU and who boasts over 40 years of coaching experience at all levels of basketball including the NBA, college, junior college and high school
FSU's highest statistical ranking among Mountain West Conference teams is in turnovers forced per game with 17.0 which rates second in the MWC and inside the nation's top 45
The Bulldogs shoot 48% from the floor and are averaging 76.8 ppg
FSU defends the perimeter at an opponent success rate of 27.3%
Jake Heidbreder's 64 FGA this season lead the MWC and land inside the DI top 30
Heidbreder's scoring average of 17.8 ppg rates second in the MWC and his 37 three-point attempts are a league-best and the 19^th most nationally
Zoan Collins leads the MWC in helpers with two dozen which ranks 30^th in DI

SERIES HISTORY VS. FRESNO STATE

First meeting all-time with the Bulldogs

LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD

The 'Jacks 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
The 'Jacks eclipsed 80+ points in each of the first three games of the season for the first time since 2020-21

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 trips to Malibu for a Friday night for a Friday night tip off against Pepperdine. It will be the first meeting with the Waves. Tip-off from inside Firestone Fieldhouse is set for 8 p.m. CT.

BRAEUER GETS HIS FIRST
First-year head coach Matt Braeuer earned his first career win against Millsaps, knocked off Arkansas State for his first win over a Division I opponent and then the 'Jacks handled Rice for Braeuer's first road win.

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 13 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