Jacks Fall in SLC Championship Game

Wednesday, March 11

Lake Charles, LA

4:00 P.M.

Stephen F. Austin

28-5,20-2Southland

McNeese

28-5,19-3Southland

McNeese

SFA

Jacks Fall in SLC Championship Game

3/11/2026 7:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

McNeese rides fast start to third-straight tournament title

LAKE CHARLES, La. – It just wasn't top-seeded Stephen F. Austin's afternoon inside Townsley Law Arena as McNeese rode a fast start to a 76-59 win in the Southland Conference tournament championship game.

Both squads battled for just a bucket each at the first media stoppage, while the Jacks forced a shot clock violation inside the first three minutes of the game for the third time this tournament.

Keon Thompson created room along the baseline and hit a jumper to pull the Jacks to within 14-10. Moments later, a tremendous hustle play by senior Chrishawn Christmas on a loose ball near the McNeese stripe led to a quick outlet to Kam Burton from Lateef Patrick and Burton hammered his only triple try of the game to pull the Jacks to within 17-13 of the McNeese lead with 11:13 to play.

McNeese leaned into the Townsley Law Arena faithful to build a nine-point advantage as the clock dipped under 10 minutes. Thompson's lone triple of the game brought the Jacks back to within six points of the host lead at the 8:48 mark.

The Cowboys' offense funneled through Javohn Garcia who was a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond-the-arc as McNeese shot 71% from three in the opening twenty minutes. The Cowboys also sat at +9 on the boards with a 29-20 lead.

A 12-2 McNeese run over 3:35 of action built a 36-20 lead for the Cowboys who went into the intermission with a 42-25 advantage.

The Jacks forced a turnover in the opening possession of the second half which led to a dunk by Colonel and then Thompson added four quick points on a lay-in and two free throws. McNeese converted a pair of transition dunks as the lead grew back to 20 points.

POSTGAME NOTES

With 18 points, Thompson became just the second Jack in program history to score 600 points in a single season
Thompson was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 21 points per game
McNeese shot 50% from deep, as part of a 52% effort from the floor, making nine of their 18 attempts, while the Jacks converted just five of their 21 attempts
The Cowboys finished +13 in rebounding and +10 in paint points
SFA knocked down 16 of its 19 shots from the stripe
Kam Burton followed Thompson in scoring with ten points
Jerald Colonel added seven points, nine rebounds, three blocks, one assist and a steal
Colonel totaled seven blocks in two tournament games
Patrick finished with nine points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals

UP NEXT
The Jacks await their postseason tournament fate this weekend. More information will be made available at www.SFAjacks.com.

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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