HAMMOND - Matt Kingsley scored a team-high 17 points and Stephen F. Austin capitalized on poor shooting by Southeastern Louisiana in the second half to claim a hard-fought 48-45 decision in a Southland Conference battle Saturday afternoon at the University Center.

Gerald Fonzie added 13 points while Shreveport's Josh Alexander grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds as SFA (13-2, 1-1 SLC) built a 13-point lead in the second half and held off Southeastern (9-6, 1-1 SLC) despite not scoring a basket for the final 10:16.

SFA, ranked third in Division I in scoring defense allowing 53.5 points per game entering the contest, took a 28-21 lead at halftime as it never trailed after Nick Shaw's jumper gave the Lumberjacks a 6-4 advantage at the 16:01 mark. Southeastern, which shot 30 percent (8-for-27) in the second half and 33 percent (16-for-48) for the game, got as close as 12-11 after Patrick Sullivan hit two free throws, but Fonzie answered with a 3-pointer and Kingsley would later add a pair of free throws to put SFA ahead 19-13.

The Lumberjacks opened the second half with a 10-4 run, capped by a Kingsley layup off an Eric Bell drive into the lane, that gave SFA a 38-25 lead.

Alexander hit a bucket from the baseline with 10:16 left that put SFA ahead, 44-33, but the ‘Jacks went 0-for-5 from the floor the rest of the way and did not score again until Kingsley hit a pair of free throws for a 46-40 lead with 4:54 remaining.

Southeastern closed the gap behind the play of Sullivan, the Lions' 6-foot-9 sophomore who posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Sullivan hit a short jumper at the 9:30 mark before Dekyron Nicks added a layup and Chris Cyprian hit the second of two free throws to get Southeastern to within 44-38 with 5:59 left.

Sullivan scored the final seven points for the Lions, including a bucket with 4:29 left that cut the SFA lead to 46-42. Kingsley, SFA's 6-9 center, hit one of two free throws with 1:46 left to put the Lumberjacks up 47-42 before Sullivan answered on the ensuing possession with one of two free throws with 1:33 left.

Sullivan grabbed a missed 3-pointer by Nicks and made both free throws with 47.8 seconds left to cut the lead to 47-45 and after Alexander missed a 3-pointer, the Lions had an opportunity to tie the game.

After a Southeastern timeout, Kevyn Green missed a 13-footer along the right baseline and Fonzie picked up the rebound and was fouled with 7.0 left. After missing the first free throw attempt, Fonzie sank his final attempt and after a Southeastern timeout, Cyprian's 3-pointer at the buzzer was long.

Sullivan, who went 7-for-8 from the free throw line, added four blocked shots as he moved past Ricky Woods into sixth-place in school history with 74. The Lions committed 11 turnovers with Bell getting three steals for SFA.

Southeastern opens a three-game roadtrip beginning Thursday when it visits Texas State in a 7 p.m. contest at Strahan Coliseum.

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (13-2, 1-1 SLC)
Kingsley 6-10 5-6 17; Fonzie 4-7 2-4 13; Alexander 2-9 2-2 6; Shaw 2-3 0-1 4; Akpan 1-2 1-2 3; Bell 1-8 0-3 2; Williams 1-3 0-0 2; Jacobs 0-2 1-2 1; Weaver 0-0 0-0 0; Davis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-45 11-20 48.

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (9-6, 1-1 SLC)
Sullivan 5-8 7-8 17; Nance 2-3 2-2 6; Span 3-9 0-0 6; Cyprian 2-8 1-2 6; Green 2-11 0-0 4; Nicks 1-6 2-3 4; Ndoumba 1-1 0-0 2; Arnold 0-2 0-0 0; Austin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-48 12-15 45.

Halftime - SFA 28, SLU 21. 3-point goals - SFA 3-10 (Fonzie 3-5; Alexander 0-4; Shaw 0-1), SLU 1-9 (Cyprian 1-5; Green 0-2; Nicks 0-2). Fouled out - None. Rebounds - SFA 31 (Alexander 11), SLU 35 (Sullivan 10). Assists - SFA 5 (Bell 3), SLU 7 (Nicks 4). Technical fouls - Ndoumba. Total fouls - SFA 16, SLU 17. A - 687.