March 16, 2008

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball team will learn its fate in the National Invitational Tournament Sunday evening. The NIT bids will be announced in a live telecast on ESPN2 beginning at 8 p.m. CST.

The Lumberjacks are assured an automatic berth in the tournament, thanks to their regular-season Southland Conference championship. SFA saw its chances to earn a bid to the NCAA Championships dissolve with Friday's 69-66 loss to Northwestern State in the semifinals of the SLC Tournament in Katy, Texas.

SFA enters NIT competition with a 26-5 record, the program's best mark in Division I competition. The 26 wins are the fourth-best single-season total in program history.

The Lumberjacks are making their first appearance in the NIT since the 1987 tournament, when SFA won the first-round game over James Madison.

-- SFA --