Defense Shines as Jacks Remain Unbeaten in the Sawmill

Monday, January 12

Nacogdoches, Texas

6:00 P.M.

Stephen F. Austin

14-3,7-1Southland

Incarnate Word

8-9,3-5Southland

UIW

SFA

Photo by: Erika Cruz

Defense Shines as Jacks Remain Unbeaten in the Sawmill

1/12/2026 8:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

SFA moves to 9-0 at home, holds off Cardinals late in physical affair

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Stephen F. Austin men's basketball improved their home winning streak to nine games on Monday night as the Jacks outlasted Incarnate Word in a defensive battle, 56-46. SFA guarded the perimeter well and took advantage of second-chance scoring opportunities to improve to 14-3 overall and 7-1 in Southland Conference play.

The two squads traded buckets through the under-12 stoppage as SFA was up 10-8 in second half scoring and leading by 11 points. UIW, the league's leader in three-point percentage, nearly doubled their first half attempts (4) from range through the second media timeout, but were unable to connect on any of the seven shots from deep through nine minutes post intermission.

SFA managed to break through a scoring drought that spanned over six minutes as UIW pulled within five points at 41-36 before Keon Thompson finished through contact which was shortly followed by a bucket from Ahamed Mohammed as the Jacks moved out front 45-36 with 5:48 remaining.

Thompson went the distance following a paint steal by Jerald Colonel who followed that effort with a pair of shot fakes on the following SFA possession to get the Jacks to 51. With the clock under three minutes, Colonel corralled an offensive rebound off his own missed free throw for a put back slam and a 53-44 lead.

Colonel's late game efforts continued as he stuffed a UIW drive to the basket that resulted in a possession for the Jacks with 45 seconds left as the blocked shot hit off the UIW shooter.

The Jacks held UIW to 19 first-half points behind nine turnovers of which seven were steals. SFA turned those nine turnovers into eight points to lead by nine points at the intermission.

SFA used four early points from Colonel, but not soon after suffered a scoring drought of over 4:30 of play before Thompson delivered a tough finish to the cup amidst a pair of defensive bodies to tie the contest at 8-8. The Jacks regained the lead at 11-10 after a theft and cross court finish by Mohammed.

Without a made three through the first nine minutes of action, Narit Chotikavanic, the Jacks' resident beyond-the-arc technician delivered a pair of trifectas twenty seconds apart on consecutive possessions the first of which was started with a crowded rebound along the baseline by Chrishawn Christmas who delivered an outlet to Marcus Scurry who provided the helper to Chotikavanic. His second three was part of a 9-0 run over 3:50 of play.

The Cardinals suffered over a five-minute scoring drought from the 12:16 mark down through 7:06 to play. Three inside buckets from Gediminas Alisas over a span of three minutes aided the Jacks in growing the host advantage to ten points at 24-14 3:34 prior to the break.

Thompson and Lateef Patrick combined for just over 11 minutes of action in the first half after each was tabbed with a pair of fouls. Defensively, the Jacks locked in not allowing a make in four attempts from three-point range for the league's top shooting team beyond-the-arc.

POSTGAME NOTES

The Jacks grabbed 15 offensive rebounds for the 15th game this season with ten or more such boards and the eighth game with 15+
SFA held the league's top three-point shooting team which averaged over nine made threes per game to zero in 13 attempts
SFA finished +6 in points off turnovers, +4 in paint scoring and +12 in second chance scoring
Nearly half of the squad's 56 points came from the bench
The contest saw the Jacks lead for over 34 minutes
Colonel finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two blocks and an assist
Thompson led all scorers with 15 points and added seven boards and three helpers
Mohammed scored 11 points making all five attempts from the stripe
Alisas finished with nine points and has connected on his last eight FGA

UP NEXT
The 'Jacks return to the road for their next three tilts beginning with a Saturday afternoon contest at New Orleans on Saturday, January 17. Tip-off from inside Lakefront Arena is slated for 5 p.m. Live coverage links are available at www.SFAjacks.com.

#AxeEm x #WinTogether

GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY
Single game tickets and five-game flex plans for the remaining seven 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.