Stephen F. Austin
Texas Wesleyan
Lumberjacks Top Texas Wesleyan
11/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 22, 2005
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - After weathering a 15-0 second-half run by Texas Wesleyan, the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball team rallied then held on down the stretch to win its home opener, 82-73, Tuesday in the William R. Johnson Coliseum. The win improved SFA's record to 2-0.
Texas Wesleyan's late run made it a two-point ballgame (66-64) with 4:46 left to play before SFA's newcomers stretched the lead back out. Redshirt freshman Matt Kingsley knocked down a free throw to stop the bleeding, then sophomore transfer Gerald Fonzie followed with a 3-pointer to give the `Jacks some breathing room and a 70-64 lead with 2:45 remaining. Freshman guard Josh Alexander then scored the next seven SFA points to ice the game when he tipped home a missed shot, hit a 3-pointer and knocked down a pair of free throws to give his team a 77-70 lead.
With the Rams forced to foul, Alexander and seniors Marcus Clark and Anthony Paez converted 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to set the final score.
Clark led the Lumberjacks in scoring with 18 points. The point guard from Marshall, Texas was a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range and recorded a game-high seven assists. Alexander finished with 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting, and junior forward Antuane Miller hit 7-of-8 shots from the floor to tally 14 points. Paez scored eight points and pulled down 10 rebounds. He also dished out six assists.
Texas Wesleyan (2-3) was led by guard Khayri McKinney's 21 points and four rebounds. Guard Brad Schilder and forward Scott Reasoner joined him in double figures with 16 and 11 points, respectively. Former Lumberjack guard Ben Hunt scored five points in his first game at the William R. Johnson Coliseum as a visitor.
The Lumberjacks got out to a good lead early and held a 47-32 edge at halftime. SFA shot 69 percent in the first period, while holding the Rams to a 45.2 percent showing. The Lumberjacks slipped to 30.3 percent in the second half, though, and their six-and-a-half-minute scoring drought allowed Texas Wesleyan to claw its way back into the game. The two teams finished neck-and-neck in shooting percentage with SFA hitting 48.4 percent of its shots and the Rams knocking down 48.3 percent. SFA mustered a decisive edge in rebounding, though, beating Texas Wesleyan on the boards, 43-25.
The Lumberjacks will return to action Saturday when they head to Manhattan, Kansas to take on Kansas State. The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m.
-- SFA --
