Lumberjacks Fifth Straight Victory Secures Season Sweep of Lions

Monday, February 17

Commerce, TX

6:30 PM

Stephen F. Austin

14-13,7-9Southland

East Texas A&M University

3-24,1-15Southland

SFA

East Texas A&M

Lumberjacks Fifth Straight Victory Secures Season Sweep of Lions

2/17/2025 10:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Peter Trainor, Student Assistant for Strategic Communications

COMMERCE, Texas- The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (14-13, 7-9) picked up their fifth straight win on Monday evening as they defeated the East Texas A&M Lions (3-24, 1-15) in a nail-biting 76-74 win on the road in a game that came down to the final shot.

The Lumberjack offense picked up right where they left off against the Northwestern State University Demons as they opened the game on an 8-0 run thanks to a pair of triples from Dominic Pangonis and Matt Hayman as well as a dunk from Keon Thompson. Points were hard to come by for both sides after the opening run by SFA as the two teams combined for just 10 points afterwards with the Lumberjacks holding a 12-6 lead five minutes into the game.

SFA continued to keep a steady lead midway through the first half as points from Nana Antwi-Boasiako, Keith Lamar, and Myles Jenkins kept SFA ahead by nine at 17-8. However, the Lions would come roaring back with an 11-3 scoring run to trim the SFA lead down to 20-19 with eight minutes left in the half. A 6-0 SFA scoring run capped by a Matt Hayman three-pointer granted SFA a seven-point lead at 26-19, however, a Lions 5-0 scoring run brought them back to within two at 26-24.

Momentum stayed on the Lions side with a 7-0 scoring run to give them their first lead of the game at 31-28. SFA would be the ones to have the last say in scoring for the half as they kept momentum on their side by ending the half with a 9-3 scoring run over the final two minutes to give SFA a 39-36 lead as both teams headed to the locker rooms.

Points continued to come in spurts for both teams out of the break as the Lions opened the half with a 6-0 scoring run, however, SFA immediately responded with a 7-0 scoring run of their own thanks to points from Keon Thompson, Nana Antwi-Boasiako, and Chrishawn Christmas to stay in the lead, 46-42. The first five minutes continued to offer back-and-forth scoring as the two schools combined for 12 points, with SFA staying in the lead at 51-49.

Neither team allowed the other to gain a lead larger than four points over the first ten minutes as points from Thierno Sylla, Keon Thompson, and Matt Hayman helped offset seven East Texas A&M points and the game remained tied at 60 points apiece with eight minutes left in the game.

Back-to-back triples from SFA courtesy of Keith Lamar and Matt Hayman stretched the SFA lead to six at 68-62, however, the Lions would once again stay close as a pair of baskets kept the score within two at 68-66 SFA with three minutes left in regulation.

Matt Hayman would rattle off five straight points for SFA to give them a seven-point lead at 73-66, however, a triple from the Lions on their following possession kept the lead at four, 73-69. A pair of Lions free-throws trimmed the SFA lead to two at 73-71, however, SFA responded with a basket and free-throw to go back ahead by five at 76-71. The Lions would once again have an answer on their ensuing possession with a three-pointer to come within two at 76-74. However, the Lions would be unable to convert on their buzzer-beater three-pointer attempt and SFA would escape Commerce with a nail-biting 76-74 win over the Lions for their fifth straight win.

Top Lumberjacks of the Game:

Matt Hayman: 23 points (led team), five three-point field goals (led team, tied career-high), five rebounds, four assists (tied team lead), three steals (tied team lead)
Keon Thompson: 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists (tied team lead), one block, three steals (tied team lead)
Keith Lamar: 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal
Chrishawn Christmas: Seven points, 11 rebounds (led team), one assist, one steal

The Lumberjacks continue their four-game road trip on Saturday, February 22nd when they travel to San Antonio to square off with the Incarnate Word Cardinals. Tip-off for Saturday's clash with the Cardinals is set for 5:00 p.m. CST.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the remaining two home games are on sale now. Fans can visit SFAtickets.com for more information.

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