The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (20-5) will attempt to extend a 13-game winning streak when they take on the Lamar Cardinals (11-15) at Montagne Center. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Feb. 22 and will air on ES3.
The Cardinals were victorious over McNeese State 87-76 on Saturday. Marcus Owens led all scorers on the team with 21 points on 7-for-8 shooting. The Lumberjacks are coming off an 88-53 win over Nicholls on Saturday. Thomas Walkup played well, accumulating 10 points and 10 rebounds to claim his fifth double-double of the season.
Over the last five games, Walkup has been on fire for the Lumberjacks. During that stretch, he has averaged 20.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks.
It could be a sloppy game for the Cardinals offense, which ranks 276th in the nation in ball protection (TO% of 20.0%). They’ll be facing the gambling Stephen F. Austin defense, which forces the most turnovers in the nation (26.7%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Lumberjacks won the first game 86-52. Walkup was a top performer in the victory with 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block.
Notes
In its last game, Stephen F. Austin won by a margin of 35 points. Lamar is 4-3 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Stephen F. Austin has a 12-1 record in blowouts.
Ranked 38th, the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks have an offensive rating of 113.5. The Lamar Cardinals rank 184th with a defensive rating of just 104.0.
Stephen F. Austin has the 22nd-ranked average field goal percentage at 48.3%. Lamar has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage (0-8).
The Lamar Cardinals average 20.0 three point attempts per game and have a subpar 3-10 record when attempting at least 20 in a game. The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks average 21.0 attempts and have a winning 11-5 record when attempting 20 or more.
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks rank 18th with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.48, while the Lamar Cardinals rank outside the top 100 at 213th with an A/TO of .99.
Lamar is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to offensive rebounds, ranking sixth. Stephen F. Austin ranks just 313th in defensive rebounds.
Stephen F. Austin is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TO% of 26.7% (ranked first). Lamar has a losing record of 1-3 SU this season when its TO% reaches 26.7% or greater.
