SFA Downs Jarvis Christian 69-46

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS Janaury 3, 2009) Matt Kingsley scored 19 points and pulled down seven rebounds as Stephen F. Austin halted a two-game slide Saturday with a 69-46 verdict over Jarvis Christian in the William R. Johnson Coliseum. The win finishes SFA’s non-conference season with an 8-4 record and moves the Lumberjacks to a perfect 5-0 in home games.

A game after shooting their lowest percentage of the season in a loss at Texas Tech, the Lumberjacks held Jarvis Christian to only 13 made field goals and a 22.4-percent effort from the floor, the worst shooting percentage by an SFA opponent this season.

Another statistic from the Texas Tech loss that carried over in a positive way for the ‘Jacks was rebounding. SFA pulled down a season-high 54 boards against the Red Raiders on Thursday, then posted a 53-36 advantage on the boards against Jarvis Christian on Saturday.

Redshirt freshman Jereal Scott and true freshman Zach Williams tied for the team lead with eight boards apiece. Senior center Benson Akpan joined Kingsley with seven rebounds and added 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

Kingsley posted a career-high with five blocked shots, including consecutive rejections on each of the Bulldogs’ first three possessions. He had four of his five blocks inside the game’s first five minutes.

The senior center’s fourth swat turned into a fast-break dunk by senior Nick Shaw at the other end after Girod Adams gathered in the rebound and pushed the ball up the court. The flush gave SFA an 11-0 lead with 15:39 to play in the half. The ‘Jacks would push their edge to 13 points before the Bulldogs finally got on the board with a jumper at the 14:34 mark.

Jarvis Christian found its shot and trimmed the lead to as few as six points with 12:32 to play, but SFA pushed the lead back to 12 over the next four minutes and went to halftime with a 35-22 edge. The Lumberjacks shot 57 percent from the floor in the opening period after going inside for a 22-2 advantage in scoring from the paint.

SFA’s shooting cooled to 39 percent in the second half, but the Lumberjacks were still able to quickly stretch the margin to 21 points and led by as many as 31 down the stretch.

For the game, SFA shot 47.5 percent and outscored the Bulldogs, 38-12, in the paint. Fifteen of the Lumberjacks’ 53 rebounds came on the offensive end, as they posted a 17-5 margin in second-chance points.

Sophomore Eddie Williams just missed double figures with nine points and pulled down six rebounds. Junior forward Aaron Smith went 2-for-3 from 3-point range and finished with seven points, while Scott and Adams each added six points.

Adams was one of four players to post three or more assists on a night when SFA finished three off a season-high with 18. Eddie Williams also had three, while junior Eric Bell and freshman Jarrod McDaniel each dished out four. That backcourt quartet combined to commit just one of SFA’s 15 turnovers.

Akpan added three blocked shots to Kinsgley’s five as SFA posted a season-high with 10 rejections.

David Greene’s eight points led Jarvis Christian, marking the first time this season for the Lumberjacks to hold the opposition without a double-digit scorer.

The Lumberjacks will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 10, when they host Sam Houston State in the Southland Conference opener. The game against the Bearkats is scheduled for a 2:05 p.m. tip and will be televised on SLC TV.