NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Friday night's game may have been labeled as an exhibition for Northeastern State but they gave NCAA Division I Stephen F. Austin nearly more than they bargained for.  The 'Jacks trailed for nearly the entire contest before taking the lead in the final minute to beat the RiverHawks 75-70 at the William R. Johnson Coliseum.

"This is a very difficult place to win," said head coach Jason Tinsley.  "They (SFA) have one of the longest home winning streaks in the country."

SFA entered their contest with NSU holding the fourth longest winning streak in NCAA Division I basketball at 29 games.  Northeastern State did not act like the game was an exhibition for them against a 'Jacks squad that was a favorite to win the Southland Conference title this season

"This the best we've played in this young season, maybe even since I've been at NSU," said head coach Jason Tinsley.  "If we would have played with this same effort and energy in the previous three games our season would probably be off to a different start." 

"I'm proud of the guys, they battled and competed to the end.  We got production from all 12 guys tonight, everyone contributed in some way."  

Montre' Williams and Tyler Williams both led NSU on the floor with 14 points.  Juvon Turner had nine points and five rebounds, Cameron Martin left the floor with nine points and three assists.

NSU shot 32.3-percent (20-62) on the floor but drained eight three-pointers, and forced 25 SFA turnovers.  The RiverHawks picked up 24 of their points off of takeaways and they would go 22-for-32 at the free throw line.

Northeastern State carried the momentum early by getting SFA out of rhythm and carried a slight edge for the majority of the first half.  The 'Jacks pulled back in and took a 33-32 lead with 2:29 left in the half until NSU closed with nine unanswered points off of back-to-back-to-back treys that was highlighted by Martin sinking a shot from between the circles.  Despite trailing in shooting at 36.7-percent, the RiverHawks left to the locker room with a 41-34 lead on SFA's court and fans quiet.  The 'Jacks shot 45.5-percent on their side of the floor but committed 16 fouls to put NSU up at the line 18 times.   

The RiverHawks rolled out of the locker room strong and opened on with four straight points to go up by 11 (45-34) on the 'Jacks.   However, NSU cooled off minutes later andSFA answered back and went on a 9-0 run to pull within a point (50-49) with 13:05 left on the clock.  From that point, it was anyone's ball game and NSU could recapture the lead but never could get more than two possessions ahead on the 'Jacks. 

NSU broke the game's 14th tie of the night on free throws and they pulled ahead 70-66 with 1:07 on the clock and a SFA foul put the RiverHawks at the line with an opportunity to put the 'Jacks back in the corner.  However, both free throws missed and the RiverHawks fouled after the second attempt to send SFA at the line where the momentum shifted the rest of the way.

Stephen F. Austin pulled ahead 73-70 but NSU had the ball on the final possession. Despite the game not counting for the RiverHawks they tried to force overtime with a three-pointer but missed to seal the win for SFA.

The 'Jacks edged NSU in rebounds 38-to-36 but the RiverHawks dominated on the offensive glass with 18 to SFA's nine. 

TJ Holyfield led SFA with 17 points and he had eight rebounds, along with six blocks.

Friday's win will send the 'Jacks to 2-1 overall.

The RiverHawks will return to the NSU Event Center for their home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 22 to face UA-Fort Smith at 7:30 p.m.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- NSU had no one in double-figures at the half with Cameron Martin leading the team with seven points.
- The RiverHawks led Stephen F. Austin for 25:53 minutes.
- NSU bench outscored the 'Jacks 38-to-25 and had an 11-to-9 edge on second chance points.
- Against D1 teams in exhibitions, the RiverHawks are averaging 27 forced turnovers per game.
- Stephen F. Austin was held to 3-for-15 from the three-point arc against NSU.

NORTHEASTERN STATE 
Williams, Montre' 5-12 2-2 14; Williams, Tyler 5-8 0-0 14; Turner, Juvon 2-8 5-9 9; Martin, Cameron 2-13 4-4 9; Waller, Karon 1-4 4-5 7; Mouse, Tanner 2-5 2-2 6; Kingsley, Scott 1-2 2-2 4; Wallace, Javon 1-3 2-6 4; Williams,Braxton 1-4 0-0 2; Cantrell, Trent 0-1 1-2 1; Hill, Gordon 0-1 0-0 0; Broadnax, Erick 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 20-63 22-32 70.

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN (2-1)
Holyfield, TJ 5-8 6-6 17; Harris, Kevon 3-7 9-9 16; Cameron, Dallas 3-7 7-8 14; Canete, Ivan 4-7 4-4 12; Gilmore III, Leon 3-8 1-2 7; Nieminen, Samuli 1-1 2-2 4; Traylor, Isaiah 0-1 2-2 2; Augustin, Aaron 1-2 0-1 2; Grujic, Jovan 0-1 1-2 1; Bain, Nathan 0-1 0-0 0; Huntley, Josh 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-43 32-36 75.

Northeastern State............   41   29  -   70
Stephen F. Austin.............   34   41  -   75

3-point goals--Northeastern State 8-19 (Williams, Tyler 4-5; Williams, Montre' 2-8; Martin, Cameron 1-4; Waller, Karon 1-1; Mouse, Tanner 0-1), Stephen F. Austin 3-15 (Harris, Kevon 1-4; Cameron, Dallas 1-3; Holyfield, TJ 1-3; Traylor, Isaiah 0-1; Bain, Nathan 0-1; Gilmore III, Leon 0-1; Canete, Ivan 0-2).
Fouled out--Northeastern State-Turner, Juvon, Stephen F. Austin-None.
Rebounds--Northeastern State 36 (Turner, Juvon 5), Stephen F. Austin 38 (Gilmore III, Leon 8; Holyfield, TJ 8).
Assists--Northeastern State 11 (Williams, Montre' 3; Martin, Cameron 3), Stephen F. Austin 10 (Augustin, Aaron 5).
Total fouls--Northeastern State 29, Stephen F. Austin 31.
Technical fouls--Northeastern State-None, Stephen F. Austin-None.
A-4103