The Northwestern State Demons (8-18), the Southland’s top shooting team, will be in action against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (23-5) at Prather Coliseum. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 3.
The Demons are hoping to rebound after their 84-82 loss to Southeastern Louisiana on Monday. Devonte Hall had a solid performance, putting up 20 points, seven assists, and two steals for Northwestern State. The Lumberjacks, meanwhile, are coming off an 84-58 win against Incarnate Word on Monday. They were led by Thomas Walkup who recorded 12 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists. He elevated his game, recording his first triple-double of the season.
Clide Geffrard has upped his play over the last five games for the Lumberjacks, averaging 17.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers.
The prolific offense of the Lumberjacks (31st in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 114.4) will look to pick apart the bottom-tier defense of the Demons (266th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 114.7), a matchup that could favor Stephen F. Austin.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Lumberjacks winning the first matchup 83-72. Walkup put up a double-double in the victory with 30 points and 10 rebounds.
Notes
In its last game, Stephen F. Austin won by a margin of 26 points. Northwestern State is 2-4 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Stephen F. Austin has a 15-1 record in blowouts.
Ranked 31st, the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks have an offensive rating of 114.4. The Northwestern State Demons rank 266th with a defensive rating of just 114.7.
Stephen F. Austin has an average field goal percentage of 48.0% (ranked 25th). Northwestern State is an underachieving 2-9 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Northwestern State Demons rank higher based on their field goal percentage (102nd) than their effective field goal percentage (109th), while the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks rank the same for both metrics (25th).
Stephen F. Austin ranks among the best in the nation in assists at second (18.9 assists per game). Northwestern State is ranked 56th with 15.5 assists per game.
Stephen F. Austin averages 9.1 steals per game, ranking ninth in the country. Northwestern State is a poor 3-8 when it allows at least 9 steals.
