Daniels catalyst in SFA rally
HUNTSVILLE — With first place in the Southland Conference on the line, both Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State were expected to play at a high level on Saturday. Neither team disappointed.
Over the first 10 minutes, Sam Houston dominated. A late first-half push by SFA tied the game at halftime. And in crunch time, SFA again came alive. The Lumberjacks broke a tie at the 3:08 mark on a 3-pointer and came away from Johnson Coliseum with a hardearned 81-76 victory.
“It was a high level college basketball game,” SFA coach Kyle Keller said. “We were able to force some turnovers at the right time, and we made some shots. The ball bounced our way at the right time.”
That was evident on Charlie Daniels’ 3-pointer, which gave the Lumberjacks a 66-63 lead with just over three minutes remaining. It was the first 3-pointer attempted all season by Daniels. From there, the Jacks upped their intensity and proved too much for the Bearkats, who led most of the game and had their four-game winning streak snapped.
With the win, first-place SFA (19-3, 10-1) won its sixth straight and separated itself from Sam Houston (15-7, 8-3) with a two game lead on the Bearkats.
“It’s a big win considering how the league standings are,” said SFA forward Nathan Bain, who came up big with 16 points, six rebounds and four steals. “This is just a stepping stone on the way to Katy (for the conference tournament). We’ll probably see them again.”
For 34 of the 40 minutes, Sam Houston was the better team. But the Bearkats, who were outrebounded 34-27, cooled off from the field late. They still made 28 of 60 shots from the field and had five players score in double figures.
“I personally think, the two best teams in the league,” Bearkats coach Jason Hooten said. “You hate to find a loser tonight. That last four minutes got away from us a bit. I tried to get a couple of guys a breather. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it backfires.
“Bottom line is that we just didn’t rebound the way we needed to, and I knew that was going to be the key of the game.”
The Bearkats got 15 points from 6-7 senior post Kai
Mitchell, who twice has been selected SLC Player of the Week this season. Zach Nutall, Chad Bowie, Dainan Swoope and R.J. Smith all scored 11 points.
For SFA, Roti Ware collected 11 points and six rebounds, Gavin Kensmil added 17 points and six rebounds and Kevon Harris scored 16 points. Daniels, who hit the game’s biggest shot, added nine points.
SFA, which made 25 of 49 shots from the field, led only for six minutes, 10 seconds. But the final three minutes belonged to the Lumberjacks.
“Our kids hung in and willed ourselves a couple of plays,” Keller said. “We got some seniors that are on a mission. We got guys that want more. You saw that determination. Everything just went our way in the final minutes.”
In late November, SFA earned national respect and exposure by winning at Duke 85-83 in overtime.
The teams battled to a 3636 tie at halftime even though Sam Houston led for all but two minutes and led by as many as 10 points. SFA finished the half with a flourish, outscoring Sam Houston 11-2 over the final 4:13.
Behind the solid early play of Demarkus Lampley, who finished with eight points, Sam Houston started the game strong and continued that push through the first 10 minutes, building a 23-13 lead on Mitchell’s jumper at the 10:16 mark.
Two plays stood out for the Bearkats in the opening half. A follow-up dunk by Nutall fired up the crowd and put Sam Houston up 3025. A little more than two minutes later, Mitchell displayed his strength. After SFA big man Kensmil brought down a rebound under his basket, Mitchell overpowered Kensmil, taking the ball away from the 6-7, 256-pounder and putting in a layup that gave Sam Houston a 36-28 lead.