Stephen F. Austin vs Jackson State
Date: Thursday, December 22nd
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Live Stream: ESPN+
Location: Nacogdoches, Texas
Stadium: William R. Johnson Coliseum
Series: 6th meeting (SFA leads 5-1)
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin men’s basketball program non-conference schedule will come to an end this Thursday against Jackson State.
The Lumberjacks are 3-0 against Jackson State in Nacogdoches and have won the last five matchups against the Tigers.
Lumberjacks Statistical Analysis
Thanks to a strong performance against the Stallions, Sadaidriene Hall now leads the WAC conference in field goal percentage (61.5%) and is ranked 30th in the nation. Hall also ranks second in the following statistical categories among the team: points per game (12.9), rebounds (72), assists (27), and blocks (5).
Opposing defenses need to be careful playing around Nigel Hawkins as he leads the conference in free throw percentage with 86.7%. When it comes to a close game in need of some free points, Hawkins is the one you want at the line.
AJ Cajuste isn’t afraid to spread the love around as he accounts for a little over a quarter of the ‘Jack’s total assists with 55. After being player of the the game last match and a making buzzer-beater a couple of games ago, Cajuste is really making a name for himself in Nacogdoches.
Last SFA Match: Lumberjacks Take Care of Business Against North American
Stephen F. Austin defeated North American 83-51 Monday night in non-conference action. The Lumberjacks improve to 7-5 and the Stallions fall to 0-13.
It was a much needed night for the Lumberjacks as they were able to recover and get some confidence back after two tight and intense back-to-back matchups. The ‘Jacks were able to take advantage of the struggling NAIA program and work on some fundamentals to get ready for WAC conference action coming up in a few games. Every healthy Lumberjack hit the court tonight, played at least ten minutes each, and was able to put points on the board. Five of the ‘Jacks, in fact, were able to put double-digit points on the board.
It was a career night for Derrick Tezeno as he put up a career-high of 17 points, making eight buckets on ten attempts. Although being fouled out with a little under ten minutes remaining in the second half, Sadaidriene Hall dominated the first half and ended up leading the ‘Jacks with 18 points on the night, going a perfect nine-for-nine from inside the arc. AJ Cajuste put ten points on the board and led the team with eight assists, while Kyle Hayman also put up ten points of his own and led the ‘Jacks with eight rebounds.
The Lumberjacks led in most of the statistical categories including: field goal percentage (59.7-33.3), points off turnovers (30-16), second chance points (7-5), bench points (33-22), and points in the paint (66-24). It was a rough night for the ‘Jacks on their shots beyond the arc, only making four buckets on 21 attempts (19%). Look for that to be something the team works on as they get ready for conference matches in the coming weeks. This small slump shouldn’t be anything to worry about for the 6th-best team in the nation when it comes to three-point percentage.
A Look at the Tigers
Jackson State heads into the matchup with a 1-10 record with every game they played being on the road. They have a game tonight in Tuscaloosa as they take on the University of Alabama.
The Tigers are coming off a four game losing streak where they have been having trouble putting points on the board as they have been able to score more than 60 points only once in those four games.
Ken Evans Jr. is the one to watch for Jackson State as he leads the team with 11.2 points per game, making buckets from inside the paint and from deep range beyond the arc. Evans Jr. also leads the team with 40 assists and 17 steals.
Coltie Young is the sharp shooter from deep for the Tigers as he makes up for more than a third of the team’s total three-pointers and records a 42.6% from the three-point line.
The Tigers take advantage of Romelle Mansel’s 6-5 figure as he leads the team with 63 rebounds and 10 blocks on the season.
Other SFA Tidbits
‘Jacks Preseason No. 3 in Coaches and Media Polls
The Lumberjacks were voted to finish third in the both the WAC Pre-Season Coaches’ Poll and the WAC Preseason Media Poll.
In the coaches’ poll, SFA finished with 111 votes and are 16 points behind second-place New Mexico State, and 10 points ahead of fourth-ranked Abilene Christian. In the media poll, the ‘Jacks are slated between NM State, and ACU.
2022-23 WAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Rank Team (1st-Place Votes)
1. Grand Canyon (8)
2. NM State (3)
3. Stephen F. Austin
4. Abilene Christian (1)
5. California Baptist (1)
6. Seattle U
7. Utah Valley
8. Sam Houston
9. Southern Utah
10. Tarleton
11. UT Arlington
12. Utah Tech
13. UTRGV
2022-23 WAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Media Poll
Rank Team
1. Grand Canyon
2. NM State
3. Stephen F. Austin
4. Abilene Christian
5. California Baptist
6. Sam Houston
7. Seattle U
8. Utah Valley
9. Southern Utah
10. UT Arlington
11. Tarleton
12. Utah Tech
13. UTRGV
Duo Named to All-WAC Preseason Team
Sophomores Sadaidriene Hall and Jaylin Jackson-Posey were selected to the All-WAC Preseason Second Team, as voted by the coaches. Jackson-Posey was additionally named to the All-WAC Preseason Media Team.
Jackson-Posey had a standout 2021-22 freshman campaign.
The Midland, Texas native appeared in 31 games on the season, starting in seven of those matchups and averaged 22.1 minutes, 7.5 points, and 2.5 rebounds per game. Jackson-Posey recorded 67 assists, 41 steals, and 25 blocks throughout the year, being ranked in the top three on the team in each of those categories. Additionally, he scored double digits in eight games.
Hall played a significant role for the ‘Jacks last season.
Hall in all 32 games on the season, starting in three of those matches and averaged 19.7 minutes, 9.4 points, and 5.3 rebounds per game. A key player on the court, he had the second -best field goal percentage (.578) on the team with a minimum of 100 attempts, third most points scored in the season (300), third most rebounds (170), third most steals (39), and second most blocks (27). The Sulphur Springs, Texas native Scored double digits in 14 games including a 28-point double-double performance against Wiley, and15 points on the board in the senior night matchup against Abilene Christian, which included a game winning jump shot as the clock hit zero.