Stephen F. Austin: 2017-18 Southland Men's Basketball Champions

KATY, Texas -- Stephen F. Austin has become accustomed to earning the Southland Conference's NCAA Tournament berth.

"They are the Kentucky of the Southland Conference," Southeastern Louisiana coach Jay Ladner said.

And after earning their fourth trip to the tournament in five years, the Lumberjacks aren't happy with just getting in.

T.J. Holyfield had 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Stephen F. Austin rallied for a 59-55 win over Southeastern Louisiana in the Southland championship on Saturday night.

"It's exciting to be back in the tournament," said Holyfield, who was voted the tournament MVP. "Coach talked about he wants to coach the best team, and I feel we have to win a certain amount of games to do that, and we have to win a couple games in the tournament to do that."

Ivan Canette added 10 points for SFA (28-6), which earned its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth in the last five years after missing last season. The Lumberjacks shot 42 percent from the field and hit seven of 15 3-pointers.

"We haven't done anything," SFA coach Kyle Keller said. "Tonight, we won the tournament, but these guys are thirsty to do more. ... Our season is starting."

Joshua Filmore had 14 points, and Marlain Veal added 12 points, six rebounds and five assists for Southeastern Louisiana (22-11), which had its nine-game winning streak snapped.

"We just didn't execute," Veal said. "We didn't trap as much."

The Lions are still looking for their second NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2005.

After two free throws by Veal gave the Lions a 51-49 lead, Kevon Harris hit a 3-pointer to give SFA a one-point lead with 3:21 left.

"I just try to play with confidence," Harris said. "I stepped up and made a big shot."

Filmore missed a 3-pointer on the Lions' next trip down the floor, and John Comeaux hit one of two free throws to give the Lumberjacks a 53-51 lead with 2:24 left.

Southeastern Louisiana committed turnovers on its next two possessions, and Holyfield hit a layup with 1:08 remaining to up the Lumberjacks' lead to four. Filmore hit two free throws with 54 second left to cut the lead to two.

"Once we got ahead of them, all the pressure got on them," Keller said.

Canette missed a free throw but got his own rebound and hit a layup with 39 seconds left to up the lead back to four, but Veal hit a layup eight seconds later to cut the lead to two. Ty Charles connected on two free throws with 20 seconds remaining, and after Eddy Polanco missed a jumper with 10 seconds left, the Lumberjacks got the rebound to seal it.

Trailing by 14, the Lions responded with a 22-2 run to take a 49-43 lead on a Joshua Filmore 3-pointer with 5:45 left. Filmore hit three 3-pointers during the run. The Lumberjacks responded with six straight points to tie it at 49 on a layup by John Comeaux with 3:51 remaining.

"We had an opportunity to win leading by six," Ladner said. "They made some tough plays and some big shots at critical times. They deserved to win."

The Lumberjacks took a 32-25 lead into halftime behind seven points apiece from Shannon Bogues and Holyfield.

BIG PICTURE

Stephen F. Austin: The Lumberjacks had a chance to put it away early in the second half when they took the 14-point lead, but SFA went cold from the field, hitting one field goal over a 12-minute span. The Lumberjacks responded with a 16-6 run to end the game. SFA out-rebounded the Lions 34-27 and held a 16-2 edge in second-chance points.

Southeastern Louisiana: The Lions had the momentum with five minutes left and a six-point lead, but they could not keep it up. The Lions got eight points from their bench -- all from Jordan Capps -- and cooled off in the second half, shooting 37.5 percent after shooting 55 percent in the first half. The Lions also committed 15 turnovers.

"We turned it over a few critical times there," Ladner said. "Too many offensive rebounds and putbacks. That ended up being the big difference."

HE SAID IT


"To win a championship, to win in March, you have to win the paint. You have to dominate points, rebounds. The physicality of your team -- I don't care how big you are -- the will of your team has to overcome the other opponent no matter who they are." -- Keller.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Joining Holyfield on the tournament team were Veal and Polanco as well as SFA's Shannon Bogues and Sam Houston State's Josh Delaney.

UP NEXT

Stephen F. Austin: Awaits its NCAA Tournament opponent.

"I really don't care who we play," Keller said. "We have seen enough styles that we aren't changing. We are going to be who we are that someone's going to have to adjust to us."

Southeastern Louisiana: Earned an automatic berth into the NIT after winning the regular-season championship.

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks: 2015-16 Southland Men's Basketball Champions

KATY, Texas -- Stephen F. Austin had been dominant throughout the Southland Conference regular season. The Lumberjacks were even better while claiming their third straight conference tournament crown.

Thomas Walkup had 19 points and six rebounds to lead Stephen F. Austin to its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance with an 82-60 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi -- its 20th consecutive victory -- in the Southland Conference Tournament championship Saturday night.

"There's nothing greater than Selection Sunday," Stephen F. Austin coach Brad Underwood said. "I am an old-school guy, and when they call your name, the hair on the back of my neck stands up, and I get goosebumps. It is something we will never ever take for granted, and for these guys to be able to do it three times is so special."

Clide Geffrard had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Lumberjacks (27-5), who shot 47 percent from the floor. Ty Charles added 12 points.

Walkup earned the conference tournament MVP for the third straight year.

"That's not something you take for granted," Walkup said of the award. "I think in like 10 or 15 years, I will look back and realize how special it is, but right now, it's all about us making the tournament as a team."

Stephen F. Austin has the longest active win streak in the NCAAs. The Lumberjacks have won 26 straight against conference opponents over the last two years, also the NCAA's longest active streak. Stephen F. Austin, the only NCAA team to go an undefeated 18-0 in conference play this season, advanced to the championship game with a 104-68 win over Houston Baptist on Friday night.

"We are a better team than we were a year ago," Underwood said when asked about the NCAA Tournament. "I'm not sure if that will show in our seeding. ... This team is very good. We are going to go in there and not be afraid of the moment."

Joe Kilgore had 14 points for the Islanders (25-7). Rashawn Thomas added 11 points and nine rebounds and Ehab Amin had 10 points and six rebounds as to lead Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, which shot 42 percent.

"Tough night, absolutely," Texas A&M-Corpus Christi coach Willis Wilson said. "It boiled down to little things that they did and little things we didn't do. ... I thought we did a lot of good things to start the game the way we needed to, but we got a little overextended there and had a hard time regrouping."

After Corpus Christi jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first 2:04, the Lumberjacks responded with a 35-6 run over the next 12 minutes -- led by nine points apiece from Walkup and Geffrard. The Lumberjacks finished the run with 16 straight points.

The Islanders started 3-of-4 shooting, but connected on just three of the next 14 shots and committed seven turnovers during SFA's run.

"We wanted to make them score through our defense in the half-court," Underwood said. "We really felt like we could exploit them in transition. All of that combined -- sitting down and guarding, limiting them to one shot and getting out into transition and running -- was really what broke that stretch open."

SFA went into halftime up 48-29 behind Walkup's 14 points, and pushed its lead to as many as 26 in the second half.

TIP INS

Islanders: Corpus Christi's lone NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2007. The Islanders have never been to the NIT Tournament. ... The Islanders finished 13 of 19 from the free-throw line. ... Hameed Ali earned All-Tournament honors.

Lumberjacks: SFA will be making its fourth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Lumberjacks are 1/3 in their previous three tournament appearances. ... Demetrious Floyd had nine points. ... SFA forced 20 turnovers and converted them into 26 points. ... The Lumberjacks were 22 of 30 from the free-throw line. ... Geffrard and Floyd earned All-Tournament honors.

GETTING TECHNICAL

Thomas and T.J. Holyfield were each issued technical fouls with 9:46 left in the first half after a verbal exchange. Ali was issued a technical foul with 1:17 left in the first half for throwing an elbow.

UP NEXT

Islanders: Await possible postseason bid in a tournament other than the NCAA Tournament.

Lumberjacks: Headed to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season.

Stephen F. Austin: 2014-15 Southland Men's Basketball Champions

Katy, TX (KLTV) -Knowing what was at stake, the Stephen F. Austin men's basketball team took care of business in the Southland Conference tournament title game by knocking off rival Sam Houston State 83 to 70.

With the win, the Jacks have clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. In the victory over the Bearkats, SFA led by 10 points at the half and by as many as 16 in the second half.

Thomas Walkup, the SLC player of the year, led SFA with 24 points, while pulling down eight rebounds. Jacob Parker chipped in 11 points, and Jared Johnson added 17.

The Jacks will find out on Sunday who they will face in the NCAA Tournament.

Stephen F. Austin: 2013-14 Southland Men's Basketball Champions

KATY, Texas -- Thomas Walkup had 19 points and Stephen F. Austin used a big second half run to defeat Sam Houston State 68-49 Saturday and earn its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2009.

Deshaunt Walker added 12 points, and Jacob Parker had 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Lumberjacks (31-2), who won their 28th straight game.

The Lumberjacks shot 49 percent from the field and hit 12 of 17 from the free throw line.

Terrance Motley had nine points, and Will Bond and James Thomas each had eight points for Sam Houston State (23-10), which finished shooting 39 percent but struggled in the second half.

The Bearkats have not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2010.

Leading by three, SFA used a 21-5 run over an 11-minute stretch of the second half to push its lead to 56-37. Connor Brooks' layup capped the surge 7:07 remaining. Parker had six points to lead the run for the Lumberjacks.