Box Score 
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi men's basketball team forced Stephen F. Austin into 18 turnovers, the second-highest this season, but the Lumberjacks (18-3, 8-0 Southland) used a late second-half push to post a 61-51 win on Saturday at Johnson Coliseum. Rashawn Thomas scored 18 points in the defeat for the Islanders (11-9, 6-2).
John Jordan posted 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and a career-high five steals as well for the Islanders, but no other player was able to score more than five, as SFA won its 31st consecutive conference game. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi won the battle of the boards, 30-28, on the strength of 17 offensive caroms.
Ty Charles and Jacob Parker led a balanced attack for the Lumberjacks, with 12 points apiece. SFA saw six other players score at least five points in the victory. The Islanders limited Thomas Walkup, who came in averaging 16.7 in conference action, to just six points.
Early on, points were at a premium, as both teams did a strong job on the defensive end. The first five combined possessions between the two teams resulted in turnovers, and neither team was able to take advantage of the takeaways. The squads went back-and-forth, with no lead larger than four. The Lumberjacks held an 8-4 edge at one point, but the teams battled to a 12-12 tie.
At that juncture, SFA put together a 9-0 run to garner its first significant edge of the ballgame. Walkup got it started and Tanner Clayton knocked down a big three in the rally that made it 21-12. But the Islanders came right back, as Thomas got a big two to send the visitors on a 7-0 run, capped off by a Jelani Currie three, to make it 21-19.
Walkup and Charles delivered back-to-back buckets to push the lead to 25-19, but Thomas delivered two free throws to cut the lead to four. On its final possession, SFA got a clutch off-balance shot that fell by Charles to head to the locker room ahead 27-21.
The Islanders came out of the break with Thomas scoring the first four points to cut the deficit back to just two, 27-25. Parker responded with a very tough layup in traffic, then Clide Geffrard knocked down a three from the right wing and the SFA lead was 32-25. The Islanders responded with four straight points, the final three on a triple from the left wing by Brandon Pye, to make it a 32-29 game.
A&M-Corpus Christi followed with a strong defensive possession, but Dallas Cameron used a head fake and drove the lane for a bucket just before the shot-clock expired to make it 34-29. That got the SFA offense rolling, as they embarked on a 10-0 run to push the lead to a game-high 13. Starting with Cameron's layup, the Lumberjacks hit four of their next seven, grabbing offensive rebounds on each of the three misses.
Dale Francis knocked down a big three-ball to snap the rally, but it was followed by Charles' second three in a row. Ehab Amin kept the hot shooting going with a three of his own to cut it to 10, and the teams went back-and-forth to see the Islanders get it down to nine, 50-41. Parker converted a dunk off a steal, got the foul and converted the bonus to push the lead to 12, 53-41.
The Islanders came right back with a layup by Jordan and a three from Bryce Douvier, and the lead was down to just seven. A&M-Corpus Christi got a stop, but Douvier's second try from three came up short, and that was as close as the visitors would get, as SFA closed out the game at the line.
The Islanders will now return to the Coastal Bend for a Tuesday night matchup against Incarnate Word on Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. The game will be "Bring You're A-Game" as all students who bring a report card or paper with an "A" grade on it will receive a free ticket to the game. For more information, contact Islanders Athletics Director of Ticketing Bryan Mayhood at 825-BALL (2255) or via email at tickets@tamucc.edu.
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