Box Score

KATY, Texas – Josh Alexander scored a game-high 25 points, including a 6-for-8 performance from behind the 3-point line, and top-seeded Stephen F. Austin sank 11 3-pointers and defeated Southeastern Louisiana, 67-56, in the quarterfinals of the 2009 State Farm Southland Conference Basketball Tournament Thursday at the Merrell Center.

Matt Kingsley scored 13 points and grabbed 17 rebounds while Walt Harris added 11 points off the bench for SFA (22-7), which will face either Texas A&M-Corpus Christi or UT Arlington in Friday's semifinals. Southeastern, which won its last four regular-season games to reach its sixth straight SLC postseason, ended its season at 13-17.

“It's a disappointing way to finish the season, but I was delighted in the way in which we finished the regular-season to get here,” Southeastern head coach Jim Yarbrough said. “Tonight we played a team (SFA) of the present, while I think we're a team of the future.”

SFA built an 11-2 lead as Alexander drained a 3-pointer and hit three free throws to key the opening run. Alexander, who scored 17 points in the first half, went 7-for-10 from the floor for the game and was 6-for-8 from behind the 3-point line as the Lumberjacks built a 37-28 lead at halftime.

Brandon Fortenberry, who led Southeastern with 13 points, got the Lions to within 16-11 in the first half on a pair of free throws with 11:08 remaining and David Ndoumba scored on a jumper to cut the SFA lead to 16-13, but Alexander hit consecutive 3-pointers for the Lumberjacks to push the lead to 22-13.

A putback by SFA's Benson Akpan gave the Lumberjacks a 56-44 lead before the Lions chipped away at the lead. The Lions got as close as 58-52 on two free throws by Warrell Span with 3:20 remaining, but Alexander drained a 3-pointer from the right wing with 1:34 left to help seal the win.

Patrick Sullivan added 11 points and four rebounds for Southeastern while Span added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds in his final game in a Southeastern uniform.

The Lions finished 19-for-53 (36 percent) from the floor and went 16-for-22 from the free throw line. But Southeastern was 2-for-11 from behind the 3-point line while SFA finished 11-for-23 (48 percent) from long range.

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (13-17)
Fortenberry, Brandon 4-11 4-4 13; Sullivan, Patrick 5-11 1-4 11; Span, Warrell 3-11 5-6 11; Forest, Damon 3-10 2-3 8; Patterson, DeShawn 1-2 2-3 4; Ndoumba, David 1-2 2-2 4; Cyprian, Chris 1-4 0-0 3; Tibbs, Robert 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 19-53 16-22 56.

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (22-7)
Alexander, Josh 7-10 5-5 25; Kingsley, Matt 5-11 3-4 13; Harris, Walt 2-7 6-6 11; Bell, Eric 2-4 2-2 7; Shaw, Nick 2-5 0-0 6; Williams, Eddie 1-2 0-0 3; Akpan, Benson 1-4 0-0 2; Williams, Zach 0-4 0-0 0; Adams, Girod 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 20-52 16-17 67.

Halftime – SFA 37, SLU 28. 3-point goals – SLU 2-11 (Fortenberry 1-5; Cyprian 1-1; Span 0-1; Forest 0-4), SFA 11-23 (Alexander 6-8; Shaw 2-4; Bell 1-2; E. Williams 1-1; Harris 1-3; Z. Williams 0-1; Adams 0-4). Fouled out - Shaw. Rebounds – SLU 30 (Span 7), SFA 41 (Kingsley 17). Assists – SLU 9 (Span, Fortenberry 3), SFA 12 (Bell 5). Total
Fouls – SLU 17, SFA 18. Technical fouls - None. A – n/a.