Stephen F. Austin vs Northwestern State University
Date: Saturday, January 25th
Time: 5:00 p.m. CT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Listen: Q107.7 FM
Arena: William R. Johnson Coliseum
All-Time Series: NWSU Leads 41-39
NACOGDOCHES, Texas- The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks men’s basketball team (8-11, 1-7) open their three-game homestand with a purple out game against visiting Southland rival Northwestern State University (8-10, 5-3) on Saturday evening at the Sawmill.
Lumberjacks at a Glance:
The Lumberjacks will be looking to gain some ground in the Southland Conference standings during their next three games as they return home to the friendly confines of the Sawmill. The Lumberjacks will continue to lean on their defense as they boast one of the premier defenses in the Southland as they are holding opponents to just 64.8 points/game, while opposing shooters are shooting just 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from beyond the arc. The Lumberjacks have posted a 5-4 home record this season and will look to continue to use the Sawmill and their home crowd to their advantage during this critical three-game homestand with just 12 conference games remaining in the season.Demons at a Glance:
The Northwestern State Demons were winners their last time out as they defeated the New Orleans University Privateers 73-61 to close out their two-game homestand following a heart breaking 65-64 loss to Southeastern Louisiana to start the homestand. The Demons non-conference schedule was packed with top-end schools as they faced off against a list of schools that included Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Rice, LSU, California, and Texas. The Demons now open a three-game road trip that starts Saturday in Nacogdoches looking to improve their 2-7 road record this season.
Scouting Report-Lumberjacks:
Matt Hayman has been the definition of consistency for the Lumberjack offense lately as he has recorded four straight games with double-digit points. Dominic Pangonis has been equally solid on the offensive side of the ball as he has tallied double-digit point efforts in three of his last five contests. Meanwhile, Chrishawn Christmas continues to bolster the elite Lumberjack defense as he continues to keep an impressive streak alive on the defensive end, recording at least one steal in every game this year for SFA, while becoming a rebounding machine lately as he has pulled down at least six rebounds in six of his last seven outings. Hayman has been just as solid defensively as he leads the defensive effort for SFA with his 35 steals, while Nana Antwi-Boasiako continues to make things difficult for opposing shooters as he has blocked a team-high 24 shots.
Scouting Report-Demons
Addison Patterson leads a Demons offense that has three different players averaging double-digit points/game this season. Patterson leads the bunch with his 12.9 points per game average, while continuing to play complementary basketball on both ends for Northwestern State as he leads the team in assists with 59 and steals with 26. Micah Thomas and Jon Sanders II both join Patterson offensively as they average over 10.5 points per game for the Demons and have combined for 55 three-pointers on the year. Willie Williams has been a constant rebounding presence for the Demons with his team-leading 124 rebounds this season.
Series:
Saturday afternoon’s Purple Out matchup at the Sawmill will mark the 81st all-time meeting in this historic Southland rivalry. Northwestern State narrowly leads the all-time series 41-39 , however, the Lumberjacks have won six of the last seven meetings between these two iconic Southland foes including the most recent one last season when they defeated the Demons 96-70 on the road.
Stephen F. Austin vs East Texas A&M-University
Date: Monday, January 27th
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
Live Stream: ESPN+
Listen: Q107.7 FM
Arena: William R. Johnson Coliseum
All-Time Series: SFA Leads 40-28
NACOGDOCHES, Texas- The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks men’s basketball team (8-11, 1-7) continue their three-game homestand as they get set to host the visiting East Texas A&M-University Lions (2-17, 0-8) on Monday evening at the Sawmill.
Lions at a Glance:
The East Texas A&M Lions travel to Nacogdoches to close out a two-game road trip as they look to record their first road win of the season and snap a seven-game losing skid. The Lions will open the road trip on Saturday when they travel to Beaumont to square off with the Lamar University Cardinals. The Lions non-conference schedule was no easy feat as they squared off against a bevy of schools that included Iowa, no. 13 ranked Texas A&M, no. 2 ranked UConn, and Oklahoma.
Scouting Report-Lions
Scooter Williams Jr. spearheads the Lions offense as he averages 11.1 points per game, while dishing out a team-high 43 assists. Khaliq Abdul-Mateen has been a three-point threat all season for the Lions as he has drained a team-high 35 triples, while also leading the defensive effort with this team-leading 27 steals. Demarco Bethea has pulled down a squad high 84 rebounds, while Josh Taylor has blocked 25 shots this season.
Series:
Monday evening’s battle at the Sawmill will reignite this once fierce Southland Conference rivalry as it will mark the first meeting between these two schools in over 28 years. SFA leads the all-time series 40-28 and have won 11 of the last 13 meetings between the two schools, including the most recent one in 1986 when they defeated the Lions 89-61 at the Sawmill.
Next Up:
The Lumberjacks close out their three-game homestand next Saturday, February 1st when they get set to host the visiting Lamar University Cardinals at the Sawmill. SFA defeated Lamar 72-63 earlier this year on the road. Tip-off for next Saturday’s clash against the Cardinals is set for 2:00 p.m. CST. Following the homestand finale, the Lumberjacks hit the road the following Monday to battle the New Orleans University Privateers, with tip-off for Monday’s road tilt against the Privateers set for 6:30 p.m. CST.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the remaining eight home games at William R. Johnson Coliseum this season are on sale now. Fans can visit SFAtickets.com for more information.
FOLLOW THE LUMBERJACKS
For all the latest information on SFA basketball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Lumberjacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
By: Peter Trainor, Student Assistant for Strategic Communications
https://sfajacks.com/news/2025/1/23/mens-basketball-lumberjacks-open-homestand-against-demons-lions