Defense, Kevon Harris’ 23 points propel the ‘Jacks over ACU

The Lumberjacks went into Abilene on Wednesday night in search of their fifth-straight conference win. It wasn't easy, but Stephen F. Austin overcame a bad shooting night and a ten-point halftime deficit by playing lock-down defense in the second frame on their way to a 76-66 victory over Abilene Christian. 

The victory improves SFA to a 5-1 mark in conference play, just a half-game back of Nicholls, who SFA handled by double-digits in their lone contest this season, atop the Southland Conference.

While the victory was big for SFA and an upset could have been a serious dent on their aspirations, achieving it was anything but easy in a roller-coaster game of runs.

Following a three made by sophomore Kevon Harris, who put together another remarkable game, the Lumberjacks took a 27-15 lead with 10:48 remaining in the first period. Abilene Christian then went on a 28-6 run to end the half off senior guard Tevin Foster’s 16 points, going seven of nine from the field including three of four from deep.

Stephen F. Austin got the ball to start off the second half and went to work with a 10-2 run of their own. With 13:30 left in the event, Kevon Harris (you guessed it) drained a triple to reset the game at 47 apiece. The Lumberjacks 26 of 36 from the free throw line and unwilling defense was too much for the Wildcats to overcome, as SFA methodically pulled away to escape Moody Coliseum with a double-digit victory.

Harris had his way, posting a solid 23 point, seven rebound, two assist line. Leon Gilmore III continued his exceptional play with 16, and Ivan Canete dropped 13 with a game-high five steals.

With a week off until their next game, you can expect the Lumberjacks will continue focusing on getting their shooting mojo back. The 'Jacks simply didn't look good shooting the ball, once again, on Wednesday night. If you take out Harris, the Lumberjacks were a 0-12 from distance, and shot 39% from the field as a team.

The Lumberjacks have had a hard time getting shots to fall on the road of late, but they continue to find ways to win. A better shooting performance will be critical if they look to keep pace with Central Arkansas and their premiere scoring guard in Jordan Howard next week.

One thing that cannot be overlooked was the effort and effectiveness of the Lumberjacks on the offense boards. The ‘Jacks hauled in an astounding 18 offensive rebounds. Many of these boards were collected on effort plays where the 'Jacks simply fought for position and tipped the ball out to the top of the key. On a night where just 39% of attempts from the field were converted, second efforts were the winning plays.

The Lumberjacks have proven they can be inconsistent at times on offensive but Keller's defense has remained a consistent. Once again, SFA forced more than 20 turnovers and shut down the Wildcats offensively in the second half.

“We were giving them too much space,” Keller said of the defensive adjustment made after the opening 20 minutes. “We backed up our pick-up point to shrink the floor.”

The maneuver on defense was effective as the ‘Jacks held the Wildcats to only 23 points in the second half.

Keller expressed how hard it is to defend a team who starts five shooters on the floor but, once again, they found a way, despite the Cat's impressive 60% from the field in the first half.

The Lumberjacks aggressive defense and transition play resulted in foul trouble for some ACU team leaders in Jaren Lewis and Payten Ricks, forcing Joe Golding to take playmakers off the court longer than he would have liked.

After the contest, these two teams begin preparing for the same foe as they both will face off against Central Arkansas (10-10, 4-3) next. ACU will host the Bears Saturday, January 20th before SFA travels to Conway on January 24th.