‘Jacks, Northwestern State Meet on New Year's Eve

Wednesday, December 31

Natchitoches, La.

3:30 P.M.

Stephen F. Austin

Northwestern State

Photo by: Erika Cruz

‘Jacks, Northwestern State Meet on New Year's Eve

12/30/2025 2:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

SFA carries five-game win streak, 3-0 league start into final action of 2025

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Stephen F. Austin men's basketball eyes the second stop on a four-game road trip as a New Year's Eve matchup in Natchitoches, Louisiana awaits the Lumberjacks to close out the '25 portion of the campaign. SFA and Northwestern State meet for the 138th time in tightly-contested series. Tip-off from inside Prather Coliseum is set for 3:30 p.m. All the action will be streamed live on ESPN+ and additional live coverage links, including live stats and Chase Merrell's radio call, are available at www.SFAjacks.com.

LAST TIME OUT
Three Lumberjacks finished in double-figure scoring, two more corralled ten rebounds and Stephen F. Austin returned from a short Christmas hiatus with an impressive second-half effort, which included a 26-2 run over the game's final 9:56 of play, to dispatch East Texas A&M 75-48 in Southland Conference action on Monday night from inside The Field House.

Twice in the second half, the Lions (6-7, 1-2 SLC) produced back-to-back possessions with three-point makes to cut their deficit to just three, but the 'Jacks responded each time. Chrishawn Christmas muscled inside to push the SFA (10-2, 3-0 SLC) lead back to five points at the 16:51 mark. That bucket answered two ETAM trifectas in a span of 26 seconds the first of which opened scoring in the second half after both sides went scoreless over the first two minutes following the intermission.

The second instance cut a 45-36 SFA lead down to 45-42 at the 13:12 mark, before an and-1 finish from Gediminas Alisas put the advantage back to two possessions and spurred a 30-6 run by the 'Jacks, with a trio of threes from Narit Chotikavanic in the final four minutes, to close out the contest.

ACTION 'JACKS

SFA leads the SLC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.66; a mark that ranks 34th nationally
No team in the Southland is corralling more rebounds per game (40.08) or offensive rebounds per game (13.50) than the 'Jacks
The 'Jacks employ the league's best scoring defense at 65.1 ppg (top 30 DI) with the second-highest scoring margin at +15.6
The Lumberjacks are active along the perimeter on both ends of the floor producing a league-leading 10.1 made three-pointers per game, while boasting the league's top three-point percentage defense at 28.7%
The 'Jacks protect possessions as good as any team in the country with an SLC-best 9.4 turnovers per game: the 15^th fewest per night in Division I basketball
Lateef Patrick is second on the team in scoring at 15.9 points per game behind 69 field goals, a 42.3% effort from the floor and a team-leading 163 shots taken all of which rank inside the league's top 10
Kam Burton ranks inside the league's top 12 as a threat from deep with 2.08 three-pointers per game and 25 total makes from beyond-the-arc

NEON KEON

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
Thompson has since earned a second SLC Player of the Week honor in addition to being named to the Lou Henson National Mid-Major Player of the Year Midseason Watch List
Thompson has bucketed the third-most points in the SLC at 209, holds the league's second-highest scoring average at 17.4 points per game and is shooting at a team-best 48.8% clip from the floor which rates as the sixth-highest percentage league-wide
He rates inside the league's top 10 in defensive rebound average (4.42) and rebound average (5.8)
Thompson has scored in double figures in 11 of 12 games with five 20-point efforts
He has recorded 5+ assist in eight games and he owns the SLC's second-best assist-to-turnover ratio (2.28)

BLOCKS & BOARDS

Jerald Colonel leads the country in blocks per game (3.50) and ranks third nationally in total blocks (42)
He has recorded three or more blocks in a game nine times this season with a season-best six coming against both Arkansas State and UTRGV
Colonel ranks second in the Southland with 97 total rebounds at 8.1 rebounds per game and 5.00 defensive rebounds per game, while his and 3.08 offensive rebounds per game leads the league
On the glass, Colonel has registered seven or more rebounds 11 times

SHOWTIME-IKANVANIC

Narit Chotikavanic native ranks 13^th nationally in three-pointers per game with 3.5 and holds the 13th-best three-point percentage nationally at 48.8%
His 42 total three-pointers made are inside the top 25 in DI and he has made multiple three-pointers in each of his last six games
Chotikavanic hit a go-ahead three with less than a second remaining to complete SFA's comeback in the win over Pepperdine
In SFA's hard-fought home victory over ACU, he 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
- He hit 5-of-7 from range in the first half against the Wildcats and netted all three of his attempts in the final twenty minutes
- His eight made threes are currently tied for the third-most by a player in the Southland Conference this season
Chotikavanic has scored in double figures in eight games, including 20-point efforts against ACU and Pepperdine

KEN POM + NET RANK

Through 12 games and as of December 30, the 'Jacks are rated 122nd in the Pomeroy Ratings
SFA is the second-highest ranked SLC team behind McNeese which rates at 69^th
Among the metrics, the 'Jacks are 97^th in adjusted defensive efficiency
The NCAA's NET Rankings, as of December 29, has the 'Jacks at 94^th behind top 50 McNeese at 48^th overall
SFA's NET ranking was improved by 11 spots following the road win at East Texas A&M

NORTHWESTERN STATE RUNDOWN

The Demons rate 327^th in the NCAA NET and rank 304th in the KENPOM
NSU is 3-9 overall, 1-2 in SLC play and 2-2 at home inside Prather Coliseum
NSU leads the SLC in free throw attempts per game with 23.4, ranks third in free throw percentage at 73.7% and second in free throw makes at 17.3
The Demons rely on nearly 32 bench points per game which rates fourth in the SLC
Micah Thomas leads NSU in FT% at 90.9% which rates inside the DI top 35
Thomas' 16.3 ppg rate fifth in the Southland

NATIONAL CONVERSATION

For the sixth-consecutive week, the Lumberjacks are receiving votes in the CollegeInsider.Com Men's Mid Major Top 25
SFA accounts for the fifth-most points (39) among teams not in the top 25 putting the 'Jacks at No. 30 nationally if the poll extended out
That's the second-highest ranking of any Southland Conference team behind No. 17 McNeese

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TRACKER
Chrishawn Christmas vs. UTRGV (12/3/25) – 11 pts, 10 reb
Keon Thompson vs. Abilene Christian (11/14/25) – 15 pts, 12 reb

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
SFA has crossed over the century mark in scoring twice this season (103 vs. Millsaps, Dallas) marking the first season with multiple 100+ scoring outputs since the 2020-21 campaign

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

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 nine 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