Guest abovetherim Posted January 13, 2008 Report Posted January 13, 2008 Lumberjacks pull out 48-45 win at Southeastern Jan. 12, 2008 HAMMOND, La. - Junior center Matt Kingsley broke out of a brief scoring slump with a game-high 17 points Saturday, as Stephen F. Austin held on for a 48-45 win at Southeastern Louisiana. The narrow victory comes on the heels of a one-point overtime loss in SFA's Southland Conference opener and evens the Lumberjacks' league record at 1-1, while improving their season mark to 13-2. The Lumberjacks weathered a scoreless drought from the field over the game's final 10 minutes to hold off the Lions. Kingsley hit three free throws during the dry spell to provide some of the only offense of the stretch, and senior guard Gerald Fonzie added a foul shot with seven seconds left to set the final margin, and Chris Cyprian's last-second 3-point attempt rattled off the rim. Fonzie scored 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, including a 3-for-5 effort from 3-point range to join Kingsley in double figures. Junior forward Josh Alexander failed to break double figures in scoring for just the third time this season, finishing with six points. But Alexander pulled down 11 rebounds, marking his second straight game with double-figure boards. For the game, Kingsley hit 6-of-10 from the field and went 5-for-6 from the stripe. SFA scored the first points of the game and never trailed in the first half, leading by as many nine points. The Lumberjacks took a 28-21 lead to the locker room despite a scoring drought that covered the final 4:43 of the half. SFA held its edge by playing solid defense and beating one of the SLC's best rebounding teams on the boards. The Lumberjacks outrebounded Southeastern, 18-14, in the first period, including a 7-2 edge on the offensive glass, and forced six Lion turnovers. Kingsley got going early, hitting 4-for-6 from the floor to finish the opening frame with 10 points. That marked the sixth time this season for Kingsley to reach double digits in scoring in the first half. He had not scored more than four points in the opening period in any of the previous three games, leading up to Saturday's showdown. Alexander finished the first half with just two points after going 0-for-5 from the field, but his seven first-half rebounds led all players. The Lumberjacks will next take the court Thursday, Jan. 17, when they host Lamar in their Southland Conference home opener. The game is set for a 7 p.m. start and will be followed on Saturday by a 6 p.m. meeting with McNeese State.
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