The No.1-seeded Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (25-5) and Houston Baptist Huskies (17-15) meet in the third round of the SthLnd tournament at Leonard E. Merrell Center. Action begins at 6:00 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 11 and can be seen on ES3.
The Lumberjacks played well in their last game, dismantling Sam Houston State 85-64 in their last matchup. Thomas Walkup was the game’s leading scorer with 38 points on 14-for-18 shooting. The Huskies, meanwhile, are coming off a 73-68 win against Southeastern Louisiana in the 2. Anthony Odunsi was the team’s top scorer, accounting for 20 points on 4-for-10 shooting.
Over the last five games, Walkup has taken his game to another level for the Lumberjacks, averaging 17.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 3.4 steals.
The Lumberjacks have emerged victorious in both games against the Huskies this year, including a decisive 82-54 victory in their last matchup. Clide Geffrard had a stellar game with 23 points, seven rebounds, and one steal.
Notes
Stephen F. Austin won its last game by a 21-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Houston Baptist is 6-6. Stephen F. Austin is 17-1 in blowouts this season.
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks have the nation’s top defense, with a defensive rating of 91.5. The Houston Baptist Huskies have an offensive rating of 108.4 (ranked 114th).
The Houston Baptist Huskies have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking 25th in the nation with a FG% of 47.7%. The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks have a winning 7-4 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher FG%.
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks average 21.0 three point attempts per game, and the Houston Baptist Huskies attempt 16.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Stephen F. Austin is 14-5 and Houston Baptist is 6-3.
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks rank 14th with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.49, while the Houston Baptist Huskies rank outside the top 100 (234th) with an A/TO of .97.
Stephen F. Austin ranks 101st in offensive rebounds, while Houston Baptist ranks 95th in defensive rebounds.
Stephen F. Austin is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TO% of 26.9% (ranked first). Houston Baptist is winless this season (0-4 SU) when its TO% reaches 26.9% or greater.
