NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Stephen F. Austin's Thomas Walkup scored a career-high 34 points to lead the Lumberjacks to a 95-59 victory over HBU in Southland Conference basketball Saturday night at Johnson Coliseum.
Senior center
Ricmonds Vilde led the Huskies (10-10, 5-5 SLC) with nine points and six rebounds, while junior guard
Anthony Odunsi had eight points and five rebounds. Junior guards
Jourdan Stickler and
Mike Turner each added seven points off the bench.
Walkup hit 13-of-15 from the field and 8-of-10 from the line and finished with seven rebounds and five assists. Jacob Parker had 16 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Clide Geffrard also had 16 points and six boards for the Lumberjacks (19-3, 9-0).
HBU shot 37.3 percent, 3-for-9 from behind the arc, and 18-for-29 from the free throw line, while SFA shot 47.1 percent, 6-for-27 from deep and 25-for-34 from the line. The Huskies were outrebounded for only the fifth time this season, 42-35.
SFA scored the first eight points of the game, which included a three-point play and a fast-break dunk by Walkup. Another three-point possession by Walkup put the Lumberjacks ahead by 11, but sophomore forward
Alex Fountain knocked down a free-throw line jumper and junior guard
Caleb Crayton and Stickler each sank one-of-two from the line to make the score 17-10 with 11:30 left.
The Lumberjacks responded by scoring the next six until a pair of free throws by Odunsi. Parker scored eight-straight for SFA and Vilde scored six-straight for HBU, but the Lumberjacks held a 33-18 lead with 6:28 to go. SFA went up by 17 on a three-point play by Walkup, but HBU scored the next five to get back within 12 with under four minutes remaining. The Lumberjacks outscored the Huskies, 11-3, the rest of the way and took a 47-27 lead into halftime.
HBU shot 37.5 percent in the first half, 0-for-3 from long distance, and 9-for-13 from the free throw line, while SFA shot 47.2 percent, 2-for-14 from 3-point range, and 11-for-17 from the line. Odunsi led the Huskies with eight points, while Walkup had 26 on 10-of-11 shooting for the Lumberjacks in the first half.
Just as they started the first half, the Lumberjacks scored the first eight points of the second half as well, with Parker scoring six. SFA outscored HBU, 27-2, over the first eight-and-half minutes of the frame to take a 74-29 lead.
The Huskies return to action when they host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Monday at 7 p.m. at Sharp Gym, where they have won four in a row and are 8-1 for the season.
