NACOGDOCHES, Texas – It was so close last time.
When Stephen F. Austin came to San Antonio on Jan. 19, the Lumberjacks were experiencing an uncharacteristic three-game losing streak. The defending Southland Conference tournament champions, who last year had made their fifth visit in ten years to the NCAA men's basketball tournament, withstood several determined rallies that day by the homestanding University of the Incarnate Word.
That afternoon, the Cardinals battled back from 11 points down in the first half and overcame a pair of eight-point deficits in the second half. They tied the score with 44 seconds left in the game and then fell behind by three points with five seconds remaining. Cardinal fans then saw senior
Charles Brown III's promising three pointer rim out -- missing overtime by millimeters as SFA took a 74-71 win.
This Saturday afternoon at SFA's Johnson Coliseum, the Lumberjacks will be again be riding a losing streak, a two-game one, as they take on an injury-plagued UIW team. This time the Cardinals will be without the services of their starting point guard,
Morgan Taylor, who was a key component in UIW's near-upset one month ago -- scoring 15 points against SFA. That was the last time he played. "Mo Buckets" sustained a hand injury in that game and hasn't played since.
Although the Cardinals lost the services of their most promising freshman that January day, they also used the SFA game to stage the resurgence of a previously sidelined "veteran." Sophomore
Christian Peevy, who coincidentally had missed several games with a fractured hand sustained in an early December, returned to prominence, scoring 16 points – hitting three of four from the field and 10 of 12 free throws.
Peevy is the Cardinals' leading scorer. He is also the nation's 23
rd-ranked free throw shooter, hitting 88.7 percent of his shots from the foul line. If the Cardinals once-again mount an upset bit, undoubtedly Peevy will be a key combatant.
Saturday's game tips off at 4:30 p.m. (CT) and can be watched on ESPN+ and with the ESPN apps. Rob Meyers will call the action.
The Lumberjacks enter the game with an uncharacteristic 13-12 overall record and 6-7 conference mark. UIW, whose roster contains eight freshmen and has been limited to eight healthy players several times this season, is 6-20 and 1-11 as head coach
Dr. Carson Cunningham oversees the rebuilding process.
