Stephen F. Austin
Rice
11/12/2026 1:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SFA eyes its second consecutive 3–0 start and its fifth in the last 10 seasons
Stephen F. Austin vs. Rice
Saturday, November 14Â | 1Â P.M. CT
William R. Johnson Coliseum | Nacogdoches, Texas
LISTEN: SFA Jacks App, Varsity App
WATCH: ESPN+Â
THE SERIES: SFA, 4-3 (Since 1998)
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin men's basketball returns to William R. Johnson Coliseum on Saturday, November 14, to host Rice. The Lumberjacks enter at 3–0 after securing a 76–71 road victory at Abilene Christian. SFA looks to extend its 10-game non-conference home winning streak against a Rice squad seeking to rebound from consecutive losses. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. Live coverage links, including the ESPN+ broadcast as well as audio streaming, are available at sfajacks.com.Â
-- TIPPING OFF --
RENEWING ACQUAINTANCES: Saturday marks the eighth meeting between SFA and Rice since December 1998, with the Lumberjacks holding a 4–3 series advantage and a 3–0 record in Nacogdoches. SFA won last season's matchup 81–69 in Houston, giving Matt Braeuer his first career road victory.
THREE STRAIGHT TO START: SFA's victory at Abilene Christian secured its second consecutive 3–0 start and fifth in the last 10 seasons. The Lumberjacks won their first Division I matchup and road opener while extending their winning streak against ACU to four games.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Lumberjacks return to William R. Johnson Coliseum with a 17–1 home record under Braeuer. SFA has won 10 consecutive non-conference home games, most recently defeating Lyon and Texas Lutheran to open the season.
BACK FROM THE ROAD: SFA improved to 13–5 in true road games under Braeuer with Wednesday's victory. Including a 1–0 neutral-site record, the Lumberjacks are 14–5 away from William R. Johnson Coliseum during his tenure.
-- THROUGH THREE GAMES --
CONNECTING FROM DEEP:Â The Lumberjacks have made 41 of 98 three-point attempts, shooting 41.8 percent and averaging 13.7 makes per game. Erik Makke leads SFA with 10 triples on 18 attempts (55.6%), followed by Narit Chotikavanic with nine on 16 attempts (56.3%). Marcus Scurry and MJ Russell have added five makes apiece, giving that quartet 29 of SFA's 41 three-pointers.
PROTECTING THE RIM:Â SFA has blocked 21 shots, averaging 7.0 per game after recording three at ACU. Edwin Daniel leads the Jacks with six blocks, including three in each of the first two games. SFA's 10 blocks against Texas Lutheran established a single-game high under Braeuer.
MAKING SHOTS DIFFICULT:Â Opponents are shooting 31.2 percent from the field (53-for-170) and 26.4 percent from three-point range (19-for-72). SFA has held all three opponents below 42 percent overall and limited Texas Lutheran and ACU to a combined 9-for-42 effort from beyond the arc (21.4%).
WORKING THE GLASS:Â SFA averages 48.7 rebounds and holds a plus-13.3 rebounding margin through three games. The Lumberjacks have collected at least 10 offensive rebounds in every contest, totaling 49 for an average of 16.3. Their 146 total rebounds include 62 against Lyon, 49 against Texas Lutheran and 35 at ACU.
SECOND CHANCES: The Lumberjacks have converted their offensive rebounding into 64 second-chance points, averaging 21.3 per game. SFA has outscored opponents 64–22 in that category, including a 37–2 advantage in the opener.
SHARING AND PROTECTING:Â SFA has 59 assists against 23 turnovers, averaging 19.7 assists with a 2.57 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Lumberjacks have assisted on 59.6 percent of their made field goals and recorded more assists than turnovers in all three games.
VALUING POSSESSIONS: The Jacks have committed just 12 turnovers over their last two games, following four against Texas Lutheran with eight at ACU. SFA averages 7.7 turnovers through three games and owns a plus-7.0 turnover margin. Under Braeuer, the Lumberjacks are 19–1 when committing fewer than 10 turnovers.
MAKKE MAKES AN EARLY IMPACT:Â Freshman Erik Makke has scored in double figures in all three games and leads SFA with 15.3 points per contest. He scored a season-high 21 at ACU, making three of four three-pointers and six free throws. Makke has eight assists and is shooting 55.6 percent from beyond the arc through three appearances.
THE NARIT FACTOR:Â Chotikavanic averages 11.0 points and has made nine of 16 three-point attempts (56.3%). He has connected from deep in every game, following six makes against Lyon with two against Texas Lutheran and one at ACU. His latest triple extended SFA's lead to seven with 3:59 remaining Wednesday.
ALISAS ADDS INSIDE SCORING:Â Gediminas Alisas scored a season-high 18 points at ACU, making seven of nine shots and adding four rebounds. He supplied 12 points after halftime, giving SFA an interior scoring option as the Wildcats challenged the lead. Alisas averages 6.0 rebounds through three games.
BACKCOURT DISTRIBUTION:Â Ashton Simmons leads SFA with 12 assists, while Courterius Scott has supplied 10 against just one turnover. Combined with Makke's eight assists, the trio has accounted for 30 of the Lumberjacks' 59 assists.
DANIEL ON THE BOARDS:Â Daniel collected a season-high eight rebounds at ACU while adding two assists without a turnover. He has contributed six blocked shots through three games and helped SFA produce consecutive victories with single-digit turnover totals.
PRODUCTION THROUGHOUT THE LINEUP: SFA's bench has supplied 147 points, averaging 49.0 per game and accounting for 51.6 percent of the team's scoring. The Lumberjacks have won the bench-scoring comparison in every game, following totals of 60 and 54 in their first two outings with 33 at ACU. SFA is 24–3 under Braeuer when its reserves outscore the opposing bench.
BUILDING FIRST-HALF ADVANTAGES: The Lumberjacks have led at halftime in all three games, outscoring opponents 143–72 before intermission. SFA took a six-point advantage into the break at ACU after holding halftime leads of 36 and 29 points in its first two games. The Jacks are 27–3 under Braeuer when leading at halftime.
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-ONE UNDER BRAEUER: Wednesday's victory moved SFA to 31–6 under Braeuer, an .838 winning percentage. The Lumberjacks are 17–1 at home, 13–5 on the road and 1–0 at neutral sites during his tenure.
KEEPING IT GOING:Â SFA has recorded multiple blocked shots in 22 consecutive games, double-digit assists in 11 straight and at least five made three-pointers in eight consecutive contests. Wednesday's five triples ended a three-game stretch with double-digit makes.
ANOTHER WAY TO WIN:Â After making 36 three-pointers across its first two games, SFA won at ACU with five triples and 38 points in the paint. The Lumberjacks made 23 of 38 two-point attempts (60.5%), demonstrating their ability to generate offense inside when perimeter production slowed.
FINISHING AT THE LINE:Â SFA made seven of eight free throws over the final 46 seconds at ACU. Alisas supplied two makes, while Makke added five, including four in the final nine seconds. The late execution helped the Jacks withstand a comeback that twice brought ACU within two points during the final 69 seconds.
WINNING WITHOUT THE REBOUNDING EDGE: SFA overcame a 39–35 rebounding disadvantage at ACU to improve to 8–4 under Braeuer when being outrebounded. The Lumberjacks compensated by shooting 50.0 percent and are now 6–0 during Braeuer's tenure when shooting at least 50 percent from the floor.
CONSISTENT ADVANTAGES:Â Through three games, SFA has shot a higher percentage than its opponent, scored more bench points and produced more points in the paint in every contest. The Jacks have also finished each game with more assists than turnovers and at least 10 offensive rebounds.
DEFENSIVE FOUNDATION:Â SFA has allowed 12 or fewer made two-point baskets in two of three games and surrendered only 54.7 points per contest overall. Opponents have made 34 of 98 attempts inside the arc, a 34.7 percent conversion rate.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Rice enters Saturday's matchup at SFA with a 1–2 record in its third season under head coach Rob Lanier, opening with a 100–55 victory over Dallas Christian before falling to East Texas A&M, 72–71, and Stanford, 91–73. The Owls' season-opening win featured 14 three-pointers, 58 rebounds, 23 assists, 16 steals and nine blocks, with Jacob Dar contributing 20 points and eight rebounds. Dar and freshman guard Jaxson Thompson share the team scoring lead at 13.0 points per game, with Thompson reaching double figures in all three contests and scoring 14 in each of the last two. Senior forward Jimmy Oladokun Jr. leads Rice in rebounding (6.7 per game) and blocked shots (2.0) while averaging 8.7 points and shooting 66.7% from the field. Carmelo Adkins adds 9.7 points and a team-best 2.3 steals per game, connecting on seven of 16 three-point attempts (43.8%), including four triples in a 13-point performance against East Texas A&M. Dallas Hobbs directs the offense with 5.0 assists per game and is coming off a 12-point outing on 5-of-6 shooting at Stanford. Collectively, Rice averages 81.3 points, 43.3 rebounds and 9.7 made three-pointers while holding opponents to 39.5% shooting and forcing 17.0 turnovers per game. The Owls rank 21st nationally in blocks per game (6.7) and 23rd in offensive rebounds per game (17.3).
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.
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.
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