ACU at Stephen F. Austin
When: Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019
Time: 6:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN+
Where: Johnson Coliseum (Nacogdoches, Texas)
Records: ACU 16-3, 5-1; Stephen F. Austin 9-8, 2-3
Series: SFA leads 19-15
Last Game: Stephen F. Austin 76, ACU 56 (Feb. 18, 2018 / Nacogdoches, Texas)
Streak: SFA, w2
Last ACU win: ACU 69, SFA 60 (Jan. 7, 2017 / Abilene, Texas)
Last SFA win: Stephen F. Austin 76, ACU 56 (Feb. 18, 2018 / Nacogdoches, Texas)
Radio: 98.1 FM (98theticket.com)
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: SIDEARM
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The ACU Wildcats are back on the road Wednesday night for a huge test against Southland Conference lynchpin Stephen F. Austin in a game that will be broadcast nationally on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m.
The Lumberjacks are 9-8 overall and 2-3 in the league after a 74-71 win over Incarnate Word last Saturday afternoon in San Antonio that saw junior guard Kevon Harris become the 31st Lumberjack in history to score 1,000 career points.
The Wildcats — carrying a league-best 16-3 non-conference record and second-place 5-1 league record into the game — had their own player top 1,000 career points Saturday afternoon as junior center Jalone Friday crossed the threshold and will carry 1,006 career points into Wednesday night's game. Friday is the fourth Wildcat in the program's NCAA Division I era (since 2013-14) to top 1,000 career points, joining senior forward Jaren Lewis (1,362 points), senior point guard Jaylen Franklin (1,257 points) and former shooting guard Parker Wentz (1,062 points in his final three seasons after scoring 217 points in his freshman season of 2012-13, ACU's last season at the NCAA Division II level).
In ACU's 78-69 win over Northwestern State on Saturday, Friday also became just the 11th player in ACU history and third in the Division I era to top 100 career 3-pointers. In the NCAA Division I era, Wentz is ACU's all-time leader in 3-pointers made with 210, followed by Austin Cooke with 136 and Friday now with 101. Junior guard Payten Ricks is tied for fourth with former shooting guard Drake Green with 85 career 3-pointers. Senior forward Hayden Farquhar (69 3-pointers) and Lewis (47 3-pointers) are seven and 10th, respectively, on the all-time list.
The Wildcats rank sixth in the country in 3-point field goal percentage (41.3 percent, which is also best in the Southland), and they rank in the top 25 in the country in turnover margin (10th at plus-4.7), total steals (17th with 164), steals per game (18th at 8.6), field goal percentage (21st at 48.9 percent), and turnovers forced per game (25th at 16.8). ACU leads the Southland in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.32), assists per game (15.9), field goal percentage, scoring defense (allowing 63.9 ppg), scoring margin (plus-12.1 ppg), 3-point field goal percentage and turnover margin.
Individually, Ricks ranks seventh in the country in 3-point field goal percentage (48.0 percent) and 32nd in total steals (39), both of which lead the Southland. Ricks is second in the conference in steals per game (2.05), while Franklin is seventh (1.68). Lewis and Friday each rank in the top 10 in the league in field goal percentage (Lewis fourth at 50.3 percent and Friday sixth at 48.3 percent).
SFA has dominated the recent series against the Wildcats, winning 12 of the last 13 games between the teams dating back to 1981 when both were in the Lone Star Conference. The Lumberjacks have won five of the six meetings between the teams since ACU joined the Southland Conference in 2013-14. ACU's lone win in the series since re-joining the conference was a 69-60 win over the Lumberjacks on Jan. 7, 2017, in Abilene. The last time ACU beat the Lumberjacks in Nacogdoches was a 61-57 victory on Jan. 10, 1981.
