Stephen F. Austin
Abilene Christian
11/10/2026 9:16:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SFA eyes its second consecutive 3–0 start and its fifth in the last 10 seasons
Stephen F. Austin at Abilene Christian
Wednesday, November 11Â | 7Â P.M. CT
Moody Coliseum | Abilene, Texas
LISTEN: SFA Jacks App, Varsity App
WATCH: ESPN+Â
THE SERIES: SFA, 29-15 (since 1973-74)
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin faces its first road test of the 2026-27 campaign on Wednesday night when the Jacks meet Abilene Christian. The matchup is SFA's first against a Division I opponent this season. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside Moody Coliseum. Live coverage links, including the ESPN+ broadcast as well as audio streaming, are available at sfajacks.com.Â
-- TIPPING OFF --
A FAMILIAR MATCHUP: Wednesday marks the 45th meeting between SFA and ACU since the start of the 1973–74 season. The programs have played at least once every season since 2014–15. SFA won last November's meeting 76–66 in Nacogdoches, enters on a three-game winning streak against the Wildcats and is 13-8 in Abilene over the last 56 seasons.Â
A FAMILIAR FACE: ACU head coach Brette Tanner spent seven seasons on SFA's coaching staff from 2006–13 under Danny Kaspar. The Lumberjacks went 153–65 during that stretch, winning three Southland regular-season championships and earning the program's first NCAA Division I Tournament appearance in 2009. ACU assistant Reggie Miller also has a connection to Kaspar, having played for the former Lumberjack head coach at Texas State in 2017–18.
LOOKING FOR THREE: A win at Abilene Christian would give SFA its second consecutive 3–0 start and its fifth in the last 10 seasons.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: SFA hits the road for the first time in year two under Braeuer. The Jacks went 13-5 away from William R. Johnson Coliseum in his first season. SFA won a dozen true road games in '25-26.Â
-- THROUGH TWO GAMES --
WINNING BIG: SFA is 2–0 after defeating Lyon 120–61 and Texas Lutheran 89–32. The Lumberjacks have outscored their opponents 209–93, averaging 104.5 points with a plus-58.0 scoring margin.
LEADING THE COUNTRY FROM DEEP: The Jacks rank No. 1 nationally in three-pointers per game (18.0), connecting on 36 of 80 attempts (45.0%). Narit Chotikavanic leads SFA with eight makes on 12 attempts (66.7%), followed by freshman Erik Makke with seven on 14 attempts (50.0%). Marcus Scurry has added five three-pointers while shooting 41.7 percent, and MJ Russell has made five of eight attempts (62.5%). That quartet accounts for 25 of SFA's 36 threes and is shooting a combined 54.3 percent (25-for-46) from beyond the arc. Ten different Lumberjacks have made at least one three-pointer, including eight with multiple makes.
PROTECTING THE RIM: SFA ranks No. 2 nationally in blocks per game (9.0) through games played November 9. Its 18 blocks include a Braeuer-era single-game high of 10 against Texas Lutheran.
MAKING SHOTS DIFFICULT: Opponents are shooting just 26.1 percent from the floor (30-for-115) and 26.4 percent from three (14-for-53). SFA allows 46.5 points per game, including only 32 against Texas Lutheran.
CONTROLLING THE GLASS: The Lumberjacks average 55.5 rebounds, including 19.0 offensive boards, and own a plus-22.0 rebounding margin. SFA has converted 38 offensive rebounds into 51 second-chance points, outscoring opponents 51–6 in that category.
SHARING AND PROTECTING: SFA has 49 assists against 15 turnovers, averaging 24.5 assists with a 3.27 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Jacks assisted on 69.0 percent of their made field goals and committed no second-half turnovers against Texas Lutheran.
THE NARIT FACTOR: Chotikavanic leads SFA at 14.0 points per game and has made eight of 12 three-point attempts (66.7%). He followed his six-three-pointer opener with two more against Texas Lutheran.
MAKKE MAKES AN EARLY IMPACT: Makke averages 12.5 points and has connected on seven three-pointers. He has scored in double figures in both games while recording six assists without a turnover.
BACKCOURT DISTRIBUTION: Ashton Simmons leads the Jacks with 12 assists (6.0 per game), including eight against Texas Lutheran. Courterius Scott has added nine assists without a turnover across 29 minutes.
FRONTCOURT PRODUCTION: Gediminas Alisas leads SFA with 7.0 rebounds per game, including eight offensive boards. Edwin Daniel has blocked three shots in each game, accounting for one-third of the team's shot-swatting total.
PRODUCTION THROUGHOUT THE LINEUP: Fourteen Lumberjacks have scored in each game, and SFA's bench has contributed 114 points—54.5 percent of the team's scoring. Scurry averages 12.0 points, while Russell averages 10.5, giving SFA five players averaging double figures.
BUILDING FIRST-HALF ADVANTAGES: SFA has outscored opponents 108–43 before halftime, taking leads of 36 points against Lyon and 29 against Texas Lutheran. The Jacks are 13–0 under Braeuer when leading by at least 10 points at intermission.
RECORD-SETTING OPENER: SFA's 26 three-pointers against Lyon established program and Southland Conference single-game records. Its 120 points were the program's most since scoring 138 against Schreiner on November 25, 1996.Â
RECEIVING NATIONAL RECOGNITION: SFA received five points in the November 9 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll after opening the season with consecutive victories. The Lumberjacks are one of three Southland programs represented in the voting, joining No. 12 McNeese and No. 13 East Texas A&M. The poll is selected by a panel of 31 Division I head coaches.
THIRTY WINS UNDER BRAEUER: Friday's victory moved SFA to 30–6 under Braeuer. The Lumberjacks are 17–1 at home, 12-5 on the road and 1-0 at neutral sites during his tenure.
KEEPING IT GOING:Â SFA enters Wednesday with multiple blocked shots in 21 consecutive games and at least five made three-pointers in seven straight. The Lumberjacks have recorded double-digit assists in 10 consecutive contests and made 10 or more threes in three straight, totaling 46 during that stretch.Â
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Abilene Christian enters Wednesday at 1–1 after opening with a 94–59 loss at Colorado on November 2 and answering with an 83–81 home victory over Lamar on November 7. The Wildcats briefly led Colorado late in the first half and trailed just 36–34 at intermission before the Buffaloes scored 58 second-half points. New Mexico transfer Timeo Pons paced ACU with 13 points in the opener, while Willan Marie-Anais and Evan Boisdur each scored 11 off the bench.
Against Lamar, Isaac Dye led the Wildcats with 18 points and made four of five three-point attempts. Boisdur contributed 17 points and seven assists, while Pons added 15 points and eight rebounds. ACU shot 50.8 percent from the floor, connected on 10 of 23 three-pointers and scored 21 points off 15 Lamar turnovers. The Wildcats led for nearly 35 minutes in the victory, which marked their 13th consecutive win over Lamar and improved their home-opening record to 13–1 since moving to Division I.
Through two games, Abilene Christian averages 71.0 points while shooting 44.8 percent from the floor, with Pons and Boisdur sharing the scoring lead at 14.0 points per game. The Wildcats make 7.0 three-pointers per contest at a 32.6 percent clip, led by Boisdur's five makes on nine attempts and Dye's 4-for-5 effort from deep. ACU averages 30.0 rebounds and 9.5 offensive boards, with Marie-Anais leading the team at 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting 80.0 percent from the field. Boisdur distributes a team-best 4.5 assists per game for a Wildcat offense averaging 12.5 assists against 15.0 turnovers. Defensively, ACU forces 13.0 turnovers and collects 5.5 steals per game, paced by Marie-Anais' four total steals, while opponents average 87.5 points on 54.3 percent shooting.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Over 53% of the Jacks' 2026-27 roster hails from the Lone Star State. Pearson and Reed both hail from Lancaster and helped Lancaster High School win the 2024 UIL Class 5A state championship. Simmons represents Beaumont, Melvin comes from Arlington and Green lists San Antonio as his hometown. Chotikavanic is from Plano, Candler from Little Elm and Hupp from Fort Worth. That Texas contingent includes three of the five returners and five of the 10 newcomers. Beyond its eight Texas natives, SFA's roster features players from five other states and two European countries. Marcus Scurry hails from Augusta, Georgia, Courterius Scott comes from Jackson, Mississippi, and MJ Russell is from Coker, Alabama. Edwin Daniel represents Washington Heights, New York, while Manu Manciel is a Detroit, Michigan, native. Gediminas Alisas, from Vilnius, Lithuania, and Erik Makke, from Keila, Estonia, provide the roster's international representation.Â
Of the ten new faces, six bring previous Division I experience: Pearson from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Ashton Simmons from TCU, Russell from ULM, Easton Hupp from Charleston Southern, Daniel from La Salle and Reed from UT Arlington. Scott arrives from Southwest Mississippi Community College. Kensington Candler and Manu Manciel join from Little Elm High School and Wasatch Academy, respectively, while Erik Makke arrives after competing with BC Kalev/Cramo in Estonia.Â
DEFENDING THE CROWN
SFA enters the season as the defending Southland regular-season champion after becoming the first program in conference history to win 20 league games in a season. The championship was the Lumberjacks' sixth Southland regular-season title and their first since 2019–20. SFA won 20 of its 22 conference contests and reached the Southland Tournament championship game. The title defense begins Dec. 5 against East Texas A&M in Nacogdoches.Â
TABBED SECOND IN THE 'LAND
The Lumberjacks received 109 points to finish second in the Southland preseason poll. Defending tournament champion McNeese topped the voting with 121 points and 11 first-place selections. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi followed SFA in third with 98 points and the remaining first-place vote. Lamar and UTRGV rounded out the top five.Â
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!
Season and single-game tickets are available now! Men's basketball season tickets are only $149 and include admission to 16 home games—less than $10 per game. Single-game tickets are available beginning at just $10. For ticket information or assistance purchasing, contact the SFA Athletics Ticket Office at 936-468-5225 or tickets@sfasu.edu.
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.
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