Stephen F. Austin

Dec. 29, 2011

GAME TIME: SFA will look to snap its three-game losing streak on Friday when it hosts UT-Tyler in its final non-conference tune-up before opening Southland Conference play next week on the road. The 'Jacks and Patriots tip off at 7:00 p.m. at the William R. Johnson Coliseum.

The ‘Jacks were sitting a game above the .500 mark before dropping three close games in three days before Chrsitmas at the Global Hoops Showcase on the campus of the University of Oregon to Prairie View A&M, North Carolina Central and Oregon.

LAST GAME: Despite 16 points and six rebonds from Jereal Scott, the Oregon Ducks pulled away late from SFA to hand the ‘Jacks their third straight defeat in the final game of the Global Hoops Showcase at the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore.  The ‘Jacks trailed by just three points with less than four minutes to play on the Ducks’ home floor, but went cold in the final minutes of the game, and finished just 1-for-12 from beyond the arc as the Ducks used late free throws to pull away and for the 10-point win after leading by no more than seven points for majority of the contest.     

vs. UT-TYLER: UT-Tyler opened up the year by splitting a pair of games against Austin College before quickly jumping into league play. The Patriots have dropped six of their first seven games in conference play, including its last two games to Howard Payne and LeTourneau. They are allowing nearly 74 points per game and have struggled to hang on to the basketball, giving up over 19 turnovers per contest.

COVERAGE: Friday’s will not be aired, but can be watched live online via SFA All-Access on www.sfajacks.com.  The game can also be followed via Gametracker, also at www.sfajacks.com

UP NEXT: SFA turns the calendar away from 2011 and into 2012 for its next contest when it opens up Southland Conference play on the road at Texas State on Jan. 4 at Strahan Coliseum in San Marcos. The ‘Jacks will get their first league test at home on Jan. 7 when they host Southeastern Louisiana at William R. Johnson Coliseum.

UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY: The 'Jacks enter Friday's game looking to snap a three-game losing streak, which is just the second three-game skid in non-conference play for SFA during the Danny Kaspar era. The last occurred during the 2004-05 season when SFA dropped consecutive games to Grambling State, Alabama A&M and Jackson State. Those three losses were also the last losses to opponents to the SWAC before SFA's loss in Oregon to Prairie View A&M, snapping an 11-game win streak vs SWAC opponents.

SCOTT OVER 1K: After a junior season where he scored 13.3 points per game and hit a school-record 60 percent of his shots from the floor, Jereal Scott has positioned himself for a senior season that could leave his name sprinkled throughout the SFA record book. He has hit double figures now 10 times, and reached the 1,000-point mark for his career during SFA's recent trip to Oregon. Scott needed 23 points to reach 1,000 and finished with 46 during the three-game stretch as the only Lumberjack to reach double figures in each contest. He is averaging 15.1 points per game this season and is now just the eighth Lumberjack to reach the 1,000-point mark in SFA's era as a Division I program.

SILVER LINING: SFA was far from sparkling in its 64-57 win over Texas College, but despite a season-high 21 turnovers the ‘Jacks still did have several bright spots. Guards Darius Gardner and Antonio Bostic each tied career highs in assists, Gardner with seven and Bostic with five, while big man Jereal Scott lit up the Steers for 30 points to tie his career high which he set last season at Texas State.

HAVE A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS: The ‘Jacks had 24 assists on 29 made baskets in its 74-48 win over Alabama State. The 24 assists are the most assists by a Lumberjack team in a single game since it had 24 dimes on March 2, 2006 at Sam Houston State. Junior point guard Hal Bateman had eight assists in the game vs the Hornets, marking just the fourth time in the past three seasons SFA has had a player with eight assists in a single game.

HOME DEFENSE: SFA held its opponents to 50 points or fewer in nine of 16 games at home last season, and allowed just 51.6 points per game at home in 2010-11. In five games at home this year SFA is allowing just 54.4 points per game, including just 43 points to Centenary in the season opener.

HOME NON-CONFERENCE: After knocking off Texas College on Saturday, SFA has now won 32 of its last 34 home, non-conference games, dating to the 2006-07 season. Before it’s 58-56 loss to Florida International, the only other SFA loss during that stretch was a two-point defeat against Texas Tech in 2009-10. The Lumberjacks are now 61-5, overall, in home, non-conference games in 12 seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar.

SAFE AT HOME: In 10-plus seasons under head coach Danny Kaspar, the Lumberjacks have compiled a 131-33 (.798) record in the William R. Johnson Coliseum. SFA is 327-124 (.725) all-time in the Coliseum. SFA has recorded six straight seasons and eight campaigns in nine years with double-digit wins at home.

CLASSIC RESULTS: SFA’s loss to FIU was its first in three years of the Etech Lumberjack Classic. The ‘Jacks are now 5-1 in the Classic and have hosted the event each year since the 2009-10 season. The ’Jacks are now 11-1, all-time, in home, regular-season tournaments. SFA went 4-0 in two years of hosting the Tall Pines Classic in 1975 and 1976, and the ’Jacks picked up two wins in the Stephen F. Austin Tournament in 1963.

BOUNCING BACK: SFA is 10-3 over the last two seasons in games following a loss. Over the last four seasons, the ’Jacks are 21-0 in home games following defeats. The last time SFA dropped two straight games with the second loss coming at home was the 2006-07 season, when the ’Jacks fell at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, then lost at home to UTSA in the regular-season finale.

KASPAR GETS 200: Danny Kaspar closed out the 2010-11 season just one win shy of 200 for his career at Stephen F. Austin, but it did not take him long to register that win this year as the ‘Jacks got him the win in front of a home crowd with a season-opening, 84-43, win on Friday vs Centenary. He is already third all-time at SFA in head coaching wins, trailing only Marshall Brown (345) and Bob Shelton (245).

BREAKOUT BROUSSARD: Junior guard Kevin Broussard had gone for just 14 points in SFA’s first four games, but exploded onto the scene in Wednesday’s win over Wiley College with a 23-point night. The transfer from Coffeyville CC hit his first seven shots from the floor, including his first six three-point tries to become the first Lumberjack since Josh Alexander in 2009 to have at least six triples in a single game. He is now 9 for 16 (.563) from behind the arc this season, with the three-point bucket accounting for 27 of his 37 points for the year.

BURYING THE MINERS: The Lumberjacks held UTEP to just 35 points in a 53-35 win on Saturday in El Paso. It was the lowest point total for UTEP at home since the Don Haskins Center opened in 1976, eclipsing its previous low of 41 set in 1980. The 35 points was also the lowest opponent point total for SFA vs a Division I team since becoming Division I itself entering the 1986-87 season, and the second-lowest opponent total overall in the Danny Kaspar era, falling just short of the 33 points allowed to Huston-Tillotson in 2007-08.

BELOW FIFTY: SFA held 10 opponents below 50 points last season, and have held three opponents under 50 this season, most recently allowing just 48 points to Alabama State on Dec. 10. In 12 seasons under Danny Kaspar the Lumberjacks have held an opponent to 50 points or fewer on 54 occasions, losing just five of those games.

AGAINST THE BIG XII: SFA is 2-11 against teams from the Big XII in 11+ years under head coach Danny Kaspar. The Lumberjacks knocked off Baylor, 79-57, in Waco during the 2003-04 season and defeated Oklahoma, 66-62, on the road in 2007-08. SFA has already fallen this season at Texas Tech and at Texas A&M, making this season the fourth time in the last five years for SFA to play two Big XII opponents.

DEFENSE FIRST: The Lumberjacks led the nation in scoring defense at 56.7 points per game allowed in 2010-11. SFA has finished the year ranked among the top 10 in scoring defense in each of the last four seasons, including No. 2 rankings in 2008 and 2009. The best defensive season by a Lumberjack team in the Division I era was 2008-09, when SFA held the opposition to 56.1 points per game. This year they are right back where they have been accustomed, leading the SLC and ranking in the top 10 in the nation in scoring defense at 55.6 points per contest.

SUB-SEVENTY: SFA has held each of its first 12 opponents under 70 points this season, but still has a long way to go to hit the longest streak of sub-70 defensive performances to open up a season. The nine straight is the longest such streak since the 2008-09 season; however, the 2007-08 team did not allow a team to break 70 points in a game until the 16th game of the year and just allowed 70 on four occassions. The 2008-09 team just allowed 70 twice for the year.

START ME UP: The Lumberjacks saw a pair of freshmen get action in it’s season-opener vs Centenary in guard Micah Delph and forward Jacob Parker; however, it was the 6-6 Parker that, despite a stat line that did not sparkle, turned the most heads. Parker found himself on the floor at the opening tip, making him the first Lumberjack freshman since Marcus Clark in 2002 to be in the starting lineup for the season opener. He started each of SFA’s first five games before giving way to transfer Jonathan King.

TURNOVERS, TURNOVERS: SFA forced 33 turnovers in a season-opening win over Centenary, which was the most since the ‘Jacks forced 33 turnovers vs Schreiner College on Nov. 21, 2006. Through nine games the ‘Jacks have managed the third-best turnover margin in the Southland with a +3.9 differential.

NOT NEEDING THE DISTANCE: The Lumberjacks scored 84 points and won by a 41-point margin in its season opener, but did it without the benefit of the long ball. SFA was just 3-for-15 in shooting from 3-point range, which makes Friday’s game the biggest margin of victory for SFA  with no more than three 3-point makes since the 99-54 win over Schreiner College in 2006.    

JUCO CONNECTION: The ‘Jacks have managed to develop a recruiting pipeline to two successful junior colleges in recent years, and those recruiting dividends are evident once again on this year’s roster. Joe Bright joins former Lumberjacks Denzel Barnes and Benson Akpan as transfers from Howard College since 2007-08, while Taylor Smith is the fifth ‘Jack from McLennan CC since 2007, joining Jordan Glynn, Eric Bell, Walt Harris and Orren Tims in that category.

SEASON OPENERS: SFA is now 8-4 in season-opening games under head coach Danny Kaspar. The Lumberjacks have compiled a 13-13 record in season openers as a Division I program (since 1986-87 season). Under Kaspar, the Lumberjacks are 7-0 when opening the season at home and 12-6 in home season openers overall as a Division I program. SFA is 1-4 under Kaspar when opening on the road and is just 1-7, in all, as a Division I program when playing the season opener on the road. The Lumberjacks’ only season-opening road win in the last 23 seasons was an 82-72 verdict at Tulsa to start the 2005-06 campaign.

HOME INVASION: SFA’s 55-40 loss to Sam Houston State in last year’s home finale marked the first time since 2006-07 for SFA to lose at least three home games in a single campaign. The ’Jacks went 10-5 at home in 2006-07.

SITTIN’ ON 20: The ‘Jacks came up two wins shy of 20 last season, finishing 18-11 overall, snapping a string of three conseuctive 20-win seasons for Danny Kaspar’s troops. In 11 seasons as head coach, Kaspar has put together five 20-win seasons. Prior to Kaspar’s tenure, the only 20-win season in the program’s history at the Division I level was the 22-8 record put up by the ’Jacks in the 1986-87 campaign, the program’s first as a D-I team.

-SFA-