NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Defending Southland Conference champion Stephen F. Austin extended its conference winning streak to 25 games Monday, defeating Southeastern Louisiana 81-66 at William R. Johnson Coliseum.

Southeastern (3-11, 0-1 Southland) struggled offensively late in the first half as SFA (12-3, 2-0 Southland) built a double-digit lead by halftime.

"Stephen F. Austin was outstanding defensively, as advertised," head coach Jay Ladner said. "They're very well coached, disciplined and play hard. They took us out of what we wanted to do offensively. Fouls killed us in the first half, forcing us into a makeshift lineup to get by."

A tightly-called contest, Onochie Ochie and DeVonte Upson both fouled out for the Lions. Ochie was done for the game with 10:05 remaining and Upson was lost for the final 5:28 of play.

Southeastern took a short-lived lead near the midpoint of the first half. A layup from freshman Dylon Maggio tied the game, 16-16, with 11:28 remaining until halftime. A foul by SFA's Jared Johnson sent the teams to a timeout, but Maggio sank a free throw after to finish off the three-point play and give Southeastern a 17-16 lead.

The Lion offense struggled for the remainder of the half, getting outscored 23-9 by SFA the rest of the way.

Southeastern's shooting improved in the second half (52.4 percent against 39.1 percent prior to halftime), but the Lions failed to cut away at SFA's lead.

Hammond, Louisiana, native Zay Jackson led the Lions in scoring, pouring in 18 points in his return to the lineup. Jackson missed Southeastern's games at Central Florida and South Florida with an injury. Andrew Guillory and Cedric Jenkins added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Ochie grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

Southeastern shot 45.5 percent from the floor (20-of-44), including 23.1 percent from three-point range (3-of-13). The Lions converted 23-of-33 from the free throw line (69.7 percent).

The Lumberjacks got a pair of double-double performances in the game. Thomas Walkup led all players with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Jacob Parker scored 15 and also hauled in 12 boards. Ty Charles added 14 points.

SFA shot 49 percent from the floor (25-of-51), including 28.6 percent from three-point range (4-of-14). The Lumberjacks converted 27-of-43 from the free throw line (62.8 percent) and out-rebounded Southeastern 38-28.

Southeastern returns home to host back-to-back games for the first time this season. Houston Baptist comes to the University Center for a 7 p.m. tip Saturday that is part of another conference doubleheader. The Lions will host Sam Houston State, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m.


SOUTHEASTERN LA. (3-11, 0-1 SLC)
Jackson, Zay 6-17 6-6 18; Guillory, Andrew 3-4 5-6 11; Jenkins, Cedric 3-5 2-4 10; Filmore, Joshua 3-9 1-3 8; Duplessis, Jimmie 1-2 4-5 6; Grieves, Daniel 1-3 3-4 5; Ochie, Onochie 2-2 1-4 5; Maggio, Dylon 1-2 1-1 3; Upson, DeVonte 0-0 0-0 0; Braclay, Bret 0-0 0-0 0; Rumph, Zach 0-0 0-0 0; Lobell, Justin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-44 23-33 66.

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (12-3, 2-0 SLC)
Walkup, Thomas 8-12 6-11 22; Parker, Jacob 4-11 6-7 15; Charles, Ty 3-5 7-7 14; Geffrard, Clide 3-4 2-7 9; Cameron, Dallas 1-1 4-4 6; Dotson, Justin 2-2 1-2 5; Floyd, Demetrious 2-3 0-0 5; King, Bobby 1-3 0-0 2; Johnson, Jared 1-6 0-0 2; Pinkney, Trey 0-3 1-2 1; Johnston, Caleb 0-0 0-0 0; Brooks, Connor 0-1 0-3 0; Martin, Jason 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-51 27-43 81.

Southeastern La............... 26 40 - 66
Stephen F. Austin............. 39 42 - 81

3-point goals--Southeastern La. 3-13 (Jenkins, Cedric 2-4; Filmore, Joshua 1-3; Jackson, Zay 0-6), Stephen F. Austin 4-14 (Charles, Ty 1-1; Parker, Jacob 1-4; Geffrard, Clide 1-2; Floyd, Demetrious 1-2; Johnson, Jared 0-4; Pinkney, Trey 0-1). Fouled out--Southeastern La.-Ochie, Onochie; Upson, DeVonte, Stephen F. Austin-Cameron, Dallas; Pinkney, Trey. Rebounds--Southeastern La. 28 (Ochie, Onochie 8), Stephen F. Austin 38 (Parker, Jacob 12; Walkup, Thomas 12). Assists--Southeastern La. 8 (Jackson, Zay 4), Stephen F. Austin 17 (Walkup, Thomas 5). Total fouls—Southeastern La. 28, Stephen F. Austin 24. Technical fouls--Southeastern La.-None, Stephen F. Austin-None. A-2183