NACOGDOCHES, Texas. The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (7-7, 0-3) fell at home to the visiting University of The Incarnate Word Cardinals (9-5, 2-1) 55-49 on Saturday evening.
Keon Thompson got the scoring started at the Sawmill by drawing a foul and draining the free-throw on SFA’s opening possession to put SFA ahead 1-0 early. The first five minutes offered a back-and-forth defensive affair as UIW held a 5-1 lead early.
The Cardinals would extend their lead to 15-5 at the midway point of the first half. With five minutes left in the half, Nana Antwi-Boasiako would rattle off three straight points for SFA to help spark a 10-3 SFA scoring run over the next three minutes to trim the Cardinals lead down to 22-15 with two minutes remaining in the half.
Chrishawn Christmas would tally the final three points of the half for the Lumberjack and would trail the Cardinals 26-18 at the half.
Matt Hayman opened the second half scoring for SFA with a layup to bring the Cardinals lead down to six at 26-20. Five minutes into the second half, Keon Thompson would tally four straight points for SFA, which was followed up by a pair of Domininc Pangonis free-throws and a Chrishawn Christmas layup, however, the Cardinals still led 38-28 midway through the second half.
The Lumberjacks refused to go down without a fight as shortly after the midway point of the half, they embarked on a 9-2 scoring run to come within four points of the Cardinals at 42-38 with five minutes left in the game. The Lumberjacks would continue to fight until the last whistle coming to within three points of the Cardinals multiple times, however, were unable to find the equalizing points and fell 55-49 at home.
Top Players of the Game:
- Keon Thompson: 17 points (led team), two rebounds, three assists (led team)
- Chrishawn Christmas: Nine points, five rebounds, one steal
- Juhlawnei Stone: Five points, eight rebounds (led team), one block
The Lumberjacks will stay at home for their next game as they continue conference play when they host the visiting Houston Christian Huskies to the Sawmill on Monday, January 6th. Tip-off for Monday’s game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
TICKET INFORMATION
Join SFA Basketball at William R. Johnson Coliseum this season. Season and single game tickets are on sale now. Fans can visit SFAtickets.com for more information.
By: Peter Trainor, Student Assistant for Strategic Communications
https://sfajacks.com/news/2025/1/4/mens-basketball-lumberjacks-fall-to-cardinals