SFA Ladyjacks rally past Nicholls Colonels to reach semifinals of Southland Tournament

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved

LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA (March 10, 2026)  The defending champion Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks showed why they are tough to beat in the Southland Conference tournament. They came from behind to beat the Nicholls Colonels 63–60 on Tuesday afternoon at the 2026 Air Force Reserve Southland Conference Women’s Basketball Championship.

Nicholls started strong. Led by Sh’Diamond McKnight, the Colonels jumped out to a 17–9 lead after the first quarter. They pushed their advantage to 11 points in the second quarter and took a 29–23 lead into halftime. SFA struggled early, making only 33 percent of their shots in the first half.
The Ladyjacks exploded for 27 points in the third quarter. They played tough defense and pushed the ball fast in transition. Myka Perry and Harmanie Dominguez led the charge. SFA turned their six-point deficit into a 50–46 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The final period was full of excitement. Both teams traded baskets, but SFA kept finding answers. Perry hit a big three-point play late in the third to give her team some space. The Ladyjacks’ defense stepped up with key stops in the closing minutes to hold on for the win.
Myka Perry led SFA with 18 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. She controlled the boards during the comeback. Key Roseby added 13 points, and Harmanie Dominguez scored 11, including several important shots in the third-quarter run.
McKnight had a game-high 21 points for Nicholls, but SFA limited extra chances in the end.With the victory, the No. 3 seed Ladyjacks move on to the semifinals. They will face No. 2 Lamar on Wednesday at 1 p.m. on ESPN+ in a rematch of last year’s semifinal.

HCU Huskies f all to SFA 50-3 on Homecoming Weekend

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly

Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 8, 2025) The HCU Huskies entered their 2025 Homecoming Weekend with plenty of hope, but it turned into a rough afternoon. On Saturday, the Huskies fell 50-3 at home to the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, ranked No. 17 in the country.

From the first moments, things went wrong. The Lumberjacks forced a punt on Houston Christian’s opening drive and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown. They then converted a two-point try to take an 8-0 lead. They added another score later in the first quarter when quarterback Gavin Rutherford found Isaiah Davis on a 14-yard touchdown pass, giving SFA a 15-0 edge heading into the second quarter.

The Huskies got on the board early in the second when freshman kicker Ryan Zuckert drilled a 45-yard field goal, cutting the lead to 15-3.  But the momentum didn’t last. The Lumberjacks answered quickly with a 17-yard pass to Kylon Harris, and just before halftime, they punched in a short goal-line run to take a 29-3 lead into the break.

In the second half, Houston Christian continued to struggle. Their offense gained just 134 total yards for the entire game.  Starting quarterback Reilly Garcia completed 12 of 19 passes for 132 yards in his first start of the season.  On the ground, the Huskies were held to just 2 rushing yards.  On defense, linebacker Trent Zappe led the team with 10 tackles and Rodney Dansby had nine.

For HCU, the result drops their record to 2-8 overall and 1-5 in the Southland Conference. They’ll need to regroup quickly, as next Saturday they travel to face East Texas A&M Lumberjacks in Commerce with a 4 p.m. kickoff.

SFA placed on probation by the NCAA

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis,
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

By James Jacobs

Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON TEXAS (May 21, 2020) The SFA Lumberjacks stunned the basketball world last November dropping the number one ranked Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. On Wednesday, the NCAA felled the Lumberjacks with a three year probation verdict for six years of poor judgement in their academic certification procedures.

Warned back in 2013, the SFA "powers that be" failed to heed the warning and now it has once again cost the student athletes. Not only does it leave a blemish on their accomplishments but athletes in four sports will see their victories taken away; an NCAA tournament win and vacated conference championships.

Ryan Ivey, the school’s athletic director, said the certification errors date back to 2013 and were discovered last spring after the departure of two associate athletic directors who were responsible for rules compliance and academics. 

To be fair, the errors occurred under the guidance of former AD Robert Hill who retired in 2018. Administrators erred by counting all semester credit hours to determine academic eligibility instead of counting only credit hours that led to a degree.

The certification errors affected 82 athletes across football, men’s basketball, baseball, volleyball, softball, women’s golf, men’s and women’s track & field and men’s cross country.

Under the terms of the probation, SFA forfeits most notably its Southland Conference titles for men’s basketball in 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2017-18 and the first-round win in the 2016 NCAA Tournament against West Virginia plus 29 football wins as well as dozens of baseball and softball wins. This in addition to fines and penalties totaling almost $100,000.

In an unprecedented move, the NCAA agreed to postpone the one year basketball probation till the 2012-2022 year so that current juniors would not potentially leave the school and jeopardize their chances of graduatiing. In addition, the team will not forfeit its win over Duke.

In the aftermath of the failures, the school has revamped it certification process and will hire a certification officer who does not work for the athletic department.

The negotiated deal allows the school to avoid a full blown investigation.

HBU falls to SFA, 42-14 in hard-fought Southland Conference contest

Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2018 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2018 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 20, 2018) After battling to a seven-seven tie at the end of the first quarter, the Houston Baptist University Huskies could not maintain their offensive momentum; dropping a 42-14 decision to the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at Husky Stadium in Houston. In the five seasons the Huskies and SFA have faced off, the Lumberjacks raised their record against the Huskies to 4-1. HBU's lone win over SFA came on November 12, 2016, with a 31-24 final score at Husky Stadium. After HBU tied the score at the 10:10 mark of the first quarter, the Lumberjacks put 21 unanswered points on the scoreboard. With 1:32 left in the third quarter, Quarterback Bailey Zappe connected with Terry Tillmon on an eight-yard pass to cap a three play, 15-yard drive. The touchdown was the third of the season for the junior wide receiver who hails from Dolton, Illinois. The first score for HBU; a 40-yard pass from Zappe to Jerreth Sterns (Waxahachie HS, Midlothhian, Texas) was the his fourth touchdown of the year.

Zappe, who is have a record-setting season, has completed 18 touchdown passes to date, with the 40-yard pass to Sterns being his longest of the year. The sophomore, who played his prep ball at Victoria East (Texas) High School, was 15-of-34 for 143 yards and two touchdowns. LaDarius Dickens caught 20 passes for 95 yards while Sterns caught six passes for 74 yards.

One major highlight of the game was kicker Tyler Blanchard booting an 80-yard punt late in the second quarter. He has punted 21 times in 2018, for 829 yards and averaging 29.5 yards-per-punt. with four of 50 yards or more and seven inside the 20-yard line.

Next up for the Huskies is a October 27 road contest against Northwestern State on Saturday, October 27. The Lumberjacks will take on the Lamar Cardinals at home on the same date. 

Texas Tech comes from behind to down Stephen F. Austin 70-60

Story and Photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2018 All Rights Reserved

DALLAS, TEXAS (March 15, 2018) The No. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders (25-9) started the game slowly, but came back to life in the final five minutes of the game to down the No. 14 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (28-7) by the score of 70-60 in the first round game for both schools at the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in Dallas. The near capacity crowd at the America Airlines Center saw the Lumberjacks control most of the game, but falter down the stretch. The Red Raiders trailed most of the game, but pulled ahead with 3:59 left in the game with a layup by Keenan Evans (Richardson, Texas). The two points pushed Tech into the lead 59-58 as they went on to outscore the Lumberjacks 11-2 in the final minutes of the game.

Texas Tech shot a paltry 35% (10-of-28) from the field in the first half, allowing SFA to take a 30-27 lead at half time. They improved their shooting percentage to 57% (15-of-26) in the second half while the Lumberjacks, who shot 37% (9-of-24) in the first half did not improve their shooting (9-of 23, 39%) in the second half. Evans tallied 23 points for the Red Raiders while fellow guard Zhaire Evans added 10. SFA had four players in double figures, with Ivan Canete (Lake Worth, Florida) leading the way with 17.

Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard discussed his thoughts after the game with the press.

"First of all, I just want to congratulate Stephen F. Austin for a great season. They were everything we thought they would be and more. Kyle Keller is a great coach. They've got good players. They've got a program is what they have. You go back to Danny Kaspar and certainly Brad Underwood, and now Kyle has taken it to another level. They just forced us into so many things and took away things, but I just wanted to congratulate them on a good season, and I know Kyle is just getting started building the program there. For our guys, we knew we were going to have to play great to win this game because we knew how good Stephen F. Austin was. I'm really pleased for our players that we advanced to the second round, beating a team that we had nothing but respect for."

SFA head coach Kyle Keller also talked with the press after the game.

"I wish we could have ended the game at halftime, obviously, but the game is 40 minutes. I give Texas Tech a tremendous amount of credit. Their Coach Chris Beard, his team embodies his spirit and toughness. And they imposed their will obviously the last 10 minutes or so of the game, and my guys tried. They always try, but we just didn't have enough tonight. We just -- it wasn't our night."

Next up for the Red Raiders will be a Saturday, March 17 meeting with the winner of Florida vs. St Bonaventure. The Gators come into the tournament as the No. 6 seed and a 20-12 record. The Bonnies counter with a 26-7 record and the No. 11 seed.

Turnovers and Ineffective Offense trump SFA’s upset over Sam Houston

Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved

By Devin Brooks

Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved

Special for TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October  7, 2017) Christmas came in October for the SFA Lumberjacks as the Sam Houston State Bearkats gifted them with multiple turnovers, but SFA wasn’t in a receiving mood.

As a result, 26,792 fans watched the SFA Lumberjacks fall to the Sam Houston StateUniversity Bearkats 27-16 Saturday afternoon at NRG Stadium in Houston. This was the 92^nd edition of the Battle of the Piney Woods game and SFA secured their seventh consecutive loss after failing to convert on the Kats’ multiple blunders throughout the game.

SFA (2-4 overall, 2-2 Southland) forced four turnovers in the game that could’ve been devastating to the Bearkats, but SFA couldn’t capitalize on the Kats’ mistakes and that proved to be the story of the game. Sam Houston committed 13 penalties that totaled to 144 yards. They fumbled three times, twice on special teams, and threw one interception that lifted SFA out of the dark, but thanks to the ineffectiveness of SFA’s offense, the Kats won their seventh straight BOTPW game and now have a 54-35-2 record over the SFA during this 92 game rivalry.

Early in the first quarter the game was shaping up to be a classic blowout. Sam Houston jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. Davion Davis, SHSU running back, scored the first touchdown of the game when he rumbled into the end zone from 10 yards out. Sam took 2:47 minutes to run eight plays that totaled 71 yards. Afterwards, quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe and kicker Tre Honshtein added to the lead making the score 17-0 in favor of SHSU after one quarter. Briscoe broke the career record for passing touchdowns (85) for SHSU after his first quarter touchdown pass. SFA gained 9 yards and SHSU gained nine first downs during the first quarter.

SFA came into the second quarter with a different mindset. Sophomore safety, Alize Ward, intercepted Briscoe’s pass and returned it for 52 yards setting SFA up inside the 20 yard line. Storm Ruiz, kicker, would make a 42 yard field goal giving SFA their first score of the game. On SFA’s next possession, Blumrick hooked up with Tamrick Pace for a 58-yard gain. That pass led to Blumrick jumping into the end zone from the one-yard line. That cut the SHSU lead to 17-10 with 3:19 left in the first half.

Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved

SFA would go into the half down 20-13 after both team’s swapped field goals. After a bevy of miscues that included interceptions, ejections, fumbles and confusing challenges, the Jacks were in position to tie the game at 20 midway through the fourth quarter. Blumrick got the team into the red zone after he hooked up with receiver Frank Iheanacho for a 35-yard gain. Blumrick went through his progressions during the drive on the goal-line and threw a pass into the back of the end zone intended for Cody Williams, but Danzell Sims intercepted the potential game-tying TD pass and ended all hopes of a Lumberjack upset. SHSU would score late in the fourth quarter on a 26-yard TD run by Briscoe. The SFA defense was simply fatigued and Briscoe was able to slip away and score to dagger touchdown. Blumrick completed 18 passes for 205 yards. Pace caught 6 passes for 100 yards. Ward has recorded three interceptions on the season which ties for the most in the SLC.

SFA will gather themselves and take their talents to Conway, Arkansas. The Jacks will battle the eighth ranked Central Arkansas Bears. This game will be featured as the SLC Game of the Week and will be streamed live on ESPN3. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at Estes Stadium in Conway.

SFA, Central Arkansas advance to Southland Tournament Final

Photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 TexSport Publications

KATY, TEXAS (March 11, 2017) The No. 1 ranked Central Arkansas Honey Bears outscored the No. 5 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders 62-44 in route to second appearance in the Southland Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament final. Last season, the Honey Bears downed the number seven seed Sam Houston State 69-62 to claim the Southland Conference Tournament title and advance to the NCAA National Tournament. In the 2016 post-season, they fell to the Louisville Cardinals by the score of 87-60 in the first round. Central Arkansas improved their record to 20-1 in road/neutral games against Southland opponents over the past two seasons.

“We beat a very good Corpus team,” said Sugar Bears head coach Sandra Rushing, the Southland Coach of the Year. “This team found a way to win. They showed a lot of heart and a lot of passion.”

The No. 3 Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks outscored Lamar in the first third and fourth periods to down the No. 2 Cardinals 62-48 to take the second semi-final game and secure their place in the tournament final. Obtaining their 20^th appearance in the finals was led by the duo of Stevie Parker and Taylor Ross, who ponied up 34 of SFA’s 62 points. Parker, who chipped in 14 points, added 13 rebounds, with all but one on the defensive end of the court. Adrienne Lewis added 10 points in the winning effort. 

The Honey Bears and Ladyjacks have faced off twice this season, with Central Arkansas taking both games. On January 25, the game was played Conway with the Honey Bears winning by four (67-63). The next match-up came 31 days later, on February 25, with Central Arkansas coming out on top 70-58 in Nacogdoches.  The last time the Ladyjacks advanced to the NCAA Tournament was 2006, where they fell to No. 4 seed Arizona State 80-61 in the Tucson Regional.

Tipoff for the title game is set for 12 p.m. CDT on Sunday, March 12, 2017.

New Orleans, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi punch tickets to Southland Tournament final

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 TexSport Publications

KATY, TEXAS (March 11, 2017) The Final has been determined. The New Orleans Privateers will face the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders in the championship game of the 2017 Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament. The game, scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CST will be played at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy, Texas on Saturday, March 11, 2017. Both teams advanced to the title game by defeating their conference foes in the semi-final round on Friday, March 10.

The No. 1 Privateers downed No.  5 Sam Houston State 75-63 in the first semi-final game while the No 2. Islanders beat No. 3 Stephen F. Austin by the score of 66-64. The final will match two high-powered offenses with the winner automatically qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Erik Thomas led New Orleans with 18 points.  Christavious Gill scored 15 points and recorded three of New Orleans’ ten steals. Privateers head coach stated in the post-game press conference, “It’s a great culmination for our university. From the president’s office on down, this is a team effort.” The win was the first for New Orleans over Sam Houston State since joining the Southland Conference in 2013.

In the second semi-final game, the Islanders jumped out to an early lead, building on the mistakes and less-than-average shooting of Sam Houston. TAMU-CC defended heavily on forward Rashawn Thomas, who scored a game-high 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds to go along with three steals and a pair of blocks. The Lumberjacks worked their way back from a 55-37 deficit at the 13:23 mark of the second half cut the Islanders’ lead 68-63, but it was not enough. Head coach Willis Wilson was quoted: “This was just a long, hard-fought game. I don’t know another way to describe it.” 

Incarnate Word Cardinals fall to SFA Lumberjacks 42-19

Trent Brittain (4) completed 15 passes for 170 for the Cardinals
against the SFA Lumberjacks,
Photo by Steve Slate, Used with permission.

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (October 29, 2016) The University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to recover from an early game deficit and dropped a 42-19 decision to the SFA Lumberjacks on Saturday, October 29, 2016 at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. With the loss, the Cardinals fall to 1-8 for the season and 1-6 in Southland Conference play.

The Cardinals got on the scoreboard early in the game with a 24-yard field goal by Cody Seidel in the first quarter. The Lumberjacks responded in the second quarter with two touchdowns runs of four and six yards by Zach Conque. Incarnate Word added three point in the third quarter when Seidel booted a 19-yard field goal. SFA came right back, scoring two additional touchdowns late in the third quarter. The Cardinals scored a fourth quarter touchdown when Junior Sessions capped a nine play, 85-yard drive with a one yard scoring run. SFA added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter before the Cardinals scored the final touchdown of the game on an 11-yard pass from Taylor Laird to Jordan Hicks.

UIW tallied 18 first downs, and 321 yards of total offense while Trent Brittain completed 15-of-31 passes for 170 yards and one interception. Cody Edwards caught six passes for 75 yards and Sessions tallied 16 carries for 36 yards.

Next up for the Cardinals is a Saturday, November 5 meeting with Southeastern Louisiana at home. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CST. The game will be homecoming for the Cardinals as they host Military Appreciation Day.

Sam Houston dominates SFA 63-28 in Battle of the Piney Woods

Nathan Stewart (81) caught five passes for 183 yards
and two TDs in the first half for the Bearkats.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 1, 2016) Scoring 28 points in the first quarter, the No. 2 Sam Houston State Bearkats used an effective passing game to down Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks by the score of 63-28 in the Battle of the Piney Woods at Houston's NRG Stadium on Saturday, October 1, 2016. The Bearkats have won the past six matchups and 13 of the past 17 games. This year's game, the 91st edition, makes the match up the third longest continuous college football rivalry in Texas.

After five minutes of back-and-forth football, the Bearkats found their way into the end zone on a 37-yard pass from quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe to wide receiver Yedidiah Louis for the first touchdown of the game. The score capped a four-play drive at the 9:20 mark in the first quarter. They added another another touchdown two minutes, 32 seconds later when Briscoe found wide receiver Davion Davis open down the left side of the field; flinging him a 57-yard pass for the score. On the ensuing kickoff, SFA's Trevon Smith caught the ball and advanced it to their own 13-yard line, With a hard hit on Smith, Bearkat safety P.J. Giddens forced Smith to fumble; which was recovered by linebacker Santiago Montoya. As a result, Sam Houston took over on the SFA 18-yard line. Three plays later, Briscoe handed-off the ball to running back Corey Avery, who rambled the final seven yards of the possession for the Beatkats' third touchdown in less than four minutes. They added their fourth touchdown of the first quarter when Briscoe hit Nathan Stewart with a 73-yard bomb at the 2:39 mark. Four minutes later, in the second quarter, Briscoe again connected with Stewart on a 39-yard pass to take the score to 35-0 with 12:13 left in the first half.

Jabalon Allen (in the blue) got SFA's first touchdown of the game on
an 18-yard pass from Zach Conque.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

The Lumberjacks finally found the endzone two minutes after Bearkats' fifth touchdown when quarterback Zach Conque hit fullback Jabralon Allen with an 18-yard pass for the TD. Kicker Storm Ruiz added the extra point to cut the Bearkat lead to 35-7. However, Sam Houston would not allow their lead to be cut, and added another Briscoe to Louis pass of 17 yards to post a 42-7 lead with 7:29 remaining in the half. Sam Houston score three additional times in the third quarter. Briscoe continued his air assault with touchdown passes to Collin Rison and Deon Hutchinson, while Corey Avery added a 21-yard rushing touchdown. The Lumberjacks added 14 points to their total in the third quarter with two touchdown passes and extra points. They also added a fourth quarter TD to their close out the scoring in the game.

Offensively, Briscoe completed 25-of-33 passes for 438 yards and seven touchdowns. Stewart caught five apsses for 183 yards, while Louis added seven catches for 119 yards. Both Stewart and Louis accounted for two touchdowns each of the Bearkats total.

Sam Houston head coach K.C. Keeler stated after the game:

I thought going in that this was possibly the best opponent that we had on our schedule. We have tremendous respect for Stephen F. Austin. But we really have had two good weeks of focused practice and it was good to see us continue to push through after not playing, what we feel, was our best football earlier in the year. I think we have gotten that mentality that we are going to have tremendous preparation as we move forward and I think we played a pretty good game tonight.

Photo by Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

He also commented about how good the Bearkats offense is: 

It’s tough to find a weak spot on our offense. We have really talented skill kids, like Nathan Stewart who is a true freshman. To have a third running back like Remus (Bulmer), are you kidding me? He starts for everybody in this league. And Jeremiah has really blossomed as a quarterback and his leadership skills are special. It’s been powerful to see him take this team over. With the tempo and the confidence we play at, I think the sky is the limit for this offense. 

The two schools have played each other eight times in Houston. The Kats and the Jacks battled to a 14-14 draw in the Astrodome in 1976. Sam Houston now holds a 54-35 all-time lead, with two ties. Today's win ties the longest winning streak of a school at six.. The Bearkats also won six straight games between 1937-1946.

SFA forces deciding game with 1-0 win over Sam Houston at Southland Conference Tournament

SFA's Conner Fikes scored the Lumberjacks only run in
their win over Sam Houston.
Photo by Darla S Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

SUGAR LAND, TEXAS (May 28, 2016) The No. 8 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks extended their season by at least one game as they defeated the No. 1 Sam Houston State Bearkats by the score of 1-0 in an elimination game of the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament in the Houston suburb of Sugar Land, Texas on Saturday, May 28, 2016, The game, which was played at Constellation Field, forced a 4 p.m. rematch between the two squads, with the winner advancing to the tournament final against the No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana Lions on Sunday, May 29 with a 12 noon first pitch.

The Lumberjacks scored the game's lone run in the sixth inning when first baseman Stephen Stuart singled to right field on a 2-1 pitch, allowing designated hitter Conner Fikes to advance to home from second base. It was the seventh RBI for the Cypress, Texas native, who played his junior college ball at Blinn Junior College, in Brenham, Texas. With the win, the Lumberjacks raised their record to 30-29 while the Bearkats fell to 39-20. Right-handed reliever Austin Hearn received the win, his second of the season; facing three batters, throwing six pitches in a single innings. SHSU starter Dakota Mills received the loss, giving up the single SFA earned run on six hits, while facing 21 batters.

HBU Huskies fall to SFA Ladyjacks 64-50 in Southland Conference basketball action

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 6, 2016) Leading by one point with the final period to play, the Houston Baptist University Huskies were unable to contain the fourth period scoring of Stephen F. Austin and fell to the Ladyjacks by the score of 64-50 at Sharp Gymnasium in Houston on Saturday, February 6, 2016. The Huskies fell to 5-6 in Southland Conference action while SFA climbed to 5-5. The Ladyjacks held a 16-14 advantage after 10 minutes of play and took a 30-29 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Huskies outscore SFA in the third period 14-12, but the fourth period was the deciding factor. The Ladyjacks outscored HBU 22-7 in the final period to secure the win.

HBU starting forward Monet Neal connected for 18 points, while Heidi Sihvola added 13 from the bench. Starting forward Anna Strickland pulled down 11 rebounds and tallied four assists. For SFA, starting guard Taylyor Ross hit for 25 points with Chanell Hayes adding 12. Kennedy Harris added 10 rebounds to her season total.

The Huskies have seven games remaining in the 2015-16 season with their next matchup occurring on Wednesday, February 10 with a 7 p.m. CST contest against the Lamar Cardinals. They will then hit the road for two games before returning to Sharp Gymnasium to face Abilene Christian on February 24. They will hit the road to again face the Ladyjacks on February 27. Their final two home games will be against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on March 3 and Incarnate Word on March 5. The Southland Conference Tournament will be held on March 9-13 at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.

HBU falls to SFA in power outage delayed game; 59-27

The HBU Huskies relaxed in their weight room during the
long delay due to the power outage.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2014 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 18, 2014) Falling behind 31-13 at halftime, the Houston Baptist UniversityHuskies could not overcome the deficit and fell to the Stephen F Austin Lumberjacks by the score of 59-27 at Dunham Field in Houston on Saturday, October 18, 2014.

The Lumberjacks quickly got on the scoreboard in 20 seconds at the beginning of the game. Braxton Beardon returned the HBU kickoff 65 yards to the Huskies two-yard line.

Running back Gus Johnson carried the ball the final two yards for the score. With the Jordan Wiggs kick splitting the uprights, SFA took a 7-0 lead.

After the kickoff by the Lumberjacks, Huskie quarterback Jonathan Fleming completed a 13 yard pass to wide receiver Ethan Fry for a first down.

Then the players, coaches, fans, and media had to wait one hour, 55 minutes for the next play.

As the play was under review, suddenly, the lights when out at Dunham Field and darkness covered field and stands. The only lights illuminating in the stadium complex were under the stands, in the press box and the concession stands at both ends of the bleachers.

Center Point Energy was notified and after nearly one and a half hour of darkness, lights were restored and both teams were given approximately 20 minutes of warmup.

After the restart, SFA rattles off 78 yards in three plays concluding with a 36-yard pass from quarterback Zack Conque to wide receiver Aaron Thomas for another six points. Wiggs again concerted the extra point to give the Lumberjacks a 14-0 lead at the 11:33 mark in the 1^st quarter.

The Huskies responded less than two minutes later with a Craig Bell 34-yard run to get the Huskies on the board. Kicker Travis Shinn missed the extra point to cut the SFA lead to 14-6.

The Lumberjacks added Conque quarterback keeper eight-yard touchdown run, another Wiggs extra point for seven more points. Wiggs added three points with a 33-yard field goal to close out the first quarter scoring.

SFA and HBU traded touchdowns in the second quarter with the Lumberjacks scoring on a 15-yard Gus Johnson run and another Wiggs extra point.

The Huskies closed out the half with a one-yard run by Bell for his second touchdown of the night. Shinn added the extra point to close the half out with SFA leading 31-13.

They again traded touchdowns in the third quarter with HBU scoring on a seven-yard pass from Jonathan Fleming to D’Angelo Wallace and a Shinn kick.

The ‘Jacks added seven more points on a 17-yard run by Gus Johnson and a Wiggs extra point to make the score 38-20 with 15 minutes to play.

With 13:57 remaining in the game, SFA padded to their lead with a seven-yard reception by Justice Liggins for the touchdown and another extra point by Wiggs.

Fleming then competed a 58-yard pass to Bibbins for their final touchdown of the game. Again, Shinn added the extra point to make the score 45-27

The ‘Jacks added three insurance touchdowns and extra points in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring at 59-27.

With the win, the 'Jacks raise their season record to 5-2 and their Southland Conference record to 2-1. The Huskies fall to 1-6 and 0-4 in conference play.

Lamar downs SFA 69-65; advances to semifinal round of SLC tourney

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography

By Robert H Kelly

Copyright 2013 TexSport Publications

KATY, TEXAS (March 14, 2013) Led by the radar shooting of senior guard Kalis Loyd, the Lamar Lady Cardinals defeated the Stephen F Austin Ladyjacks by the score of 69-65 in the second round of the Southland Conference tournament at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.

With the win, Lamar advanced to the semi final round of the tournament and will face the No. 2 seed, Sam Houston State, in a 1:30 p.m. game on Friday.

Loyd, the Malmoe, Sweden native, was virtually unstoppable on the court.

She connected on 5-of-13 from the field and 12-of-14 from the free throw line for 22 points to lead all scorers.

She was aided in the scoring by Dominique Edwards, who was 7-of-14 from the field in addition to being 3-of-5 from 3-point range.

Lamar set the stage for their win with ball control.

The Lady Cardinals picked the pockets of the Ladyjacks 12 times, with Loyd accounting for four of the steals.

IN addition, 33 of Lamar’s points came on take-a-ways.

As a team, Lamar shot 21-of-52 from the field and 21-of-32 from the free throw line.

They also connected on 6-of-17 three-pointers.

For SFA, Tierany Henderson, Porsha Roberts, and Ashlee Mells each had 10 points, while Annette Davis accounted for eight rebounds.

With the win, Lamar will post a 21-9 record when they face Sam Houston.

In their two previous meetings this season, the Lady Cardinals dropped 59-57 decision at home on Jan. 10 and won their Feb. 9 game by the of 52-48 in Huntsville.

The stats from the game can be accessed by clicking here.