Jan. 19, 2006

Final Stats

SAN MARCOS - Antuane Miller sank two free throws with three seconds left in the game to lift the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks to a 59-55 victory over the Texas State Bobcats Thursday at Strahan Coliseum.

The Lumberjacks ran their record to 9-6 with the win, and are now 2-3 in Southland Conference play. The loss was the fourth straight for the Bobcats, who fell to 2-12 for the year and are still winless against Southland Conference opponents.

Texas State's Brandon Bush led all scorers with 17 points. Jushay Rockett added 13 for the Bobcats. Josh Alexander led the Lumberjacks with 15 points.

Trevor Cook, one game removed from setting the school record for blocked shots in a game with seven, swatted four Lumberjack shots.

The Lumberjacks scored the game's opening basket on Keith Hardaway's jumper nearly two minutes into the game. The Bobcats wasted no time answering with a dunk from Cook.

Texas State took a 6-4 lead on a jump shot by Rockett with 14:09 remaining in the first half, but then fell behind as the Lumberjacks went on a 11-0 run over the next six minutes to take a 15-6 lead.

The Bobcats turned the ball over five times and went 0-for-7 from the field during the Lumberjack run.

Texas State answered with a 9-0 run of their own, tying the game with a field goal from Bush with 4:45 remaining in the first half.

The Lumberjacks regained the advantage as the half wound down, and ran their lead to five on a three-point shot from Hardaway. The Bobcats answered with a three-pointer from Bush right in front of the Lumberjack bench and ended the half trailing 22-20.

Texas State would tie the game for the final time with a jump shot from Cook one minute into the second half to pull even at 22. Stephen F. Austin re-took control of the game with a 12-4 run over the next five minutes.

The Lumberjacks stretched their lead to as many as 11 points when Miller hit a field goal after rebounding a missed Hardaway free throw with 9:06 left.

Offensive rebounding and second-chance points were a heavy factor in the game. The Lumberjacks won the battle on the offensive glass 16-6 and outscored the Bobcats 14-0 in second-chance opportunities.

Following the Miller field goal, the Bobcats were able to claw to within three over the next four minutes, making the score 51-48 in favor of the Jacks when Rockett hit two free throws.

Stephen F. Austin still held a three-point when the Bobcats' Charles Dotson sank two free throws with 3:34 remaining in the game to bring the score to a 55-52. After a scoring drought of over two minutes, Bush was fouled with 1:01 remaining in the game.

Bush sank his first free throw to pull the Bobcats within two, but missed the second. Anthony Paez pulled down the carom for Stephen F. Austin, and then at the other end of the floor hit a running one-hand jumped in the lane as the shot clock wound down to put the Jacks up by four with 28 seconds remaining.

The Jacks allowed Dotson an easy lay-up on the defensive end, but a bad pass by Paez with 14 seconds left resulted in Texas State's Jeremy Johnson tying up the ball with Alexander under the Stephen F. Austin basket with the possession arrow in favor of the Bobcats.

Chris Langhorne's ensuing jumper missed tying the game, as did the follow-up from Lance Burroughs. Dotson was then whistled for a loose-ball foul on Miller trying for the rebound, allowing the Lumberjacks to put the game away for good.

The Bobcats return to action at 7 p.m. Saturday against the Sam Houston State Bearkats. It is the second contest of Stuff Strahan, the only afternoon-evening SLC double-header featuring both men's and women's Bobcat basketball teams.