WWL: Ty Charles explodes in second half, 'Jacks avenge loss to UIW

Just a week ago, it was pretty easy to find folks willing to hammer in the nails of Stephen F. Austin's conference championship coffin. The Lumberjacks had just dropped a road contest to league-leading Sam Houston State to fall a full two games back. The Drive for Five was looking pretty bleak.

Who knew that so much would break right for SFA this last week? Just a mere days later, here we are, tied with the Bearkats and with a home contest to break the tie in the season finale. New Orleans still sits a game up with a remaining road contest - but lets slow down a bit.

The first half of SFA's victory over Incarnate Word on Thursday felt a lot like the season opener against Longwood - enough solid defense to keep the game in reach and a big pile of steaming you-know-what on offense. Then, suddenly, the Lumberjacks exploded about two minutes into the second half. The 60-point frame contained their biggest offensive output in a half all year and big chunk of it came on the back of Ty Charles.

All-in-all, an unorthodox game for SFA, but a win gladly accepted. Here are a few things we learned:

The Lumberjacks are no longer the SLC's turnover kings -

FINALLY. After a season that started by pacing the entire NCAA in turnovers through a month or so, the Lumberjacks (at least in league play) no longer lead the Southland Conference in turnovers per game. After a season-low six turnovers during the win against Incarnate Word, New Orleans (17.1 per game) has passed SFA (16.9 per game) in average charity.

Taking the entire season into account, SFA still clings to a conference-leading 18.1 average - but let's let that be old news and give some credit where its due. There are still lapses and "what was that?" moments, but the ball security issue has improved significantly since early November.

When you have guys playing free enough to make plays like this and still just hand the ball over three times per half, there's room to believe things are only going to get better:

TJ Holyfield is becoming a weapon in the high post -

He's taken his fair share of criticism this season and plenty has been legitimate. But when all is said and done, Holyfield may ultimately go down as SFA's most improved player this season. Disappearing acts aside, TJ has always been able to shoot. The ability to play through contact against large players inside has been his shortcoming - and may only be resolved in the offseason with some added weight - but Holyfield's court vision has made him a weapon in post-to-post plays within the scheme.

TJ's four assists on Thursday are starting to become his normal - and that's only a portion of what the threat of his touch passes have done to open up the floor. Using his height, like he does here, to help loft the ball over the top of the defender's head, is both the beauty of the high-to-low pass, and a play SFA was mostly incapable of making early in the season without a turnover:

Combined with his 14 rebound, 13 point double-double, Holyfield had the kind of all-around night we should expect a lot more of going forward. At least we hope.

Leon Gilmore showed off his inner Lane Kiffin -

The Lumberjacks' high flying #3 had a pretty average night by his standards. Leon scored 12 points, pulled in four rebounds, and attempted his one three-pointer. Gilmore's best moment might have actually come while he was on the bench. Have a look:

Either 1) Leon predicted that SFA would nail a three-pointer long before the ball ever touched Ty Charles' hands or 2) Leon Gilmore actually willed the ball in with his good juju. I'd give props to Khiorie Stewart (who appears to have a hand up on the left of the shot as well) but Leon had both arms up and that's just way cooler. Either way, shades of Alabama's ex-offensive coordinator were on display in WRJ.

Whose grandma is this? -

If she's 70, I'm 70.

Dallas Cameron struggled all night and SFA still needed him at the end -

SFA's senior point guard had a mostly forgettable night. Possibly still bothered by an ankle injury suffered during Saturday's game at Northwestern State, Cameron just seemed a step slow. His shots weren't falling, defense was at times hard to come by, and ultimately he ended up with a 1-7 night from the floor, two turnovers, and zero assists.

But in the final minutes, with UIW playing the foul game very early, Cameron's free throws got the 'Jacks out of WRJ with the W. Not enough can be said for the kind of game Jalin Hart had for Incarnate Word - with the way he was shooting three-pointers, nothing was sure until the clock hit zero.

Take away Dallas' 11-14 night from the charity stripe and the team made only half of their remaining 29 attempts. Even when he's off, the steady calmness in those closing moments continue to make him SFA's most clutch player. So while Hart was nailing threes and Incarnate Word was fouling, so long as it was Dallas stepping to the line, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that SFA was going to win the game.

He's not the best free-throw shooter on the team. But he's the one I want when they count.

There's a slate of big SLC games to watch this weekend -

A Saturday without SFA basketball is pretty odd. Not to worry. While the Lumberjacks get their well earned rest ahead of the monster showdown with Lamar next week, here are some relevant SLC games to watch today:

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at McNeese State (3:30PM - RSSW - Live Stream)

No team has been hotter over the last few weeks than Willis Wilson's Islanders. Corpus Christi is charging to the front of the SLC and while its very likely too late for them in the championship race, they're still chasing a top four bye in Katy. They'll look to continue their hot streak tonight.

Root for: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. This is a good matchup for SFA but not for many other teams. You want the Islanders hot in Katy to potentially knock off another high seed. The 'Jacks should be able to the handle them.

New Orleans at Southeastern Louisiana (5:45PM - ESPN3 - Live Stream)

SFA could use a slip up or two from New Orleans to help their conference championship cause. There may not be a better opportunity for a UNO loss through the remaining schedule (apart from SFA's road date with them). SELA has been in free fall since a surprising start - but they played the red hot A&M-CC Islanders close on the road in a loss on Wednesday. With the benefit of the home court, the Lions may have another upset in their arsenal this season.

Root for: Southeastern Louisiana. SFA needs to gain a game on New Orleans to win a fifth-straight title. A win in New Orleans would only draw SFA even. No co-championship ever quite felt right.

Incarnate Word at Sam Houston State (6:15PM - ESPN3 - Live Stream)

Another big time game in the conference championship race. SFA just saw UIW a couple days ago and now they're playing the other second-place team. The Bearkats have lost twice since beating the Lumberjacks in Huntsville last week but they're back at home now. Sam Houston should stop the bleeding today and get back on track - but Jalin Hart may have something to say something about that if he keeps shooting the way he did on Thursday.

Root for: Incarnate Word. Duh.

Lamar at Houston Baptist (7:00PM - Free Video - Live Stream)

SFA's next opponent sits just a half-game back in the standings. A win at HBU would draw the Cardinals even with the Lumberjacks heading into the big match at WRJ this Thursday. Houston Baptist continues to be hit or miss. They're good for the occasional upset though and if anyone can stop the Lamar momentum, it might be the Huskies' big dudes in the paint.

Root for: Houston Baptist. Besides the standings implications, it would not be a bad thing to extinguish some of the confidence and momentum that Lamar has built over the last few weeks.