Harris' Hot Streak Continues in 31-Point Outing During SFA's 81-62 Romp Over Rice

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Each of the previous two wins the Stephen F. Austin men's basketball team secured could best be described using adjectives such as exciting, thrilling and nail-biting. 

By the time the final horn sounded in William R. Johnson Coliseum in the 'Jacks' non-conference tilt against Rice early Saturday evening, there were only two words - proper nouns, in this case - needed to describe the win.

Kevon Harris.

Not needing a last-second drive to the hoop as he delivered Wednesday night in Ruston, La., SFA's sophomore poured in a career-best 31 points on the strength of 11-of-19 shooting as the 'Jacks destroyed the Owls, 81-62, in the first meeting between the two squads on SFA's home floor in 16 years. 

Usually one to do his work inside, Harris - who hails from Ellenwood, Ga., - flipped the script and put forth one of the single-best three-point shooting performances in program history. The sharpshooting sophomore finished an astounding 8-of-11 from downtown, giving him the third-most three-pointers in a game in program history and the most by an SFA player in 24 years. 

"Every game I try to come out with more confidence than I did in the last one," Harris commented following his career outing. "You have to forget about what you did the previous night and put the focus on your goals in the present. I just felt confident today and my teammates were so unselfish. All of the credit goes to them."

Harris' long-range accuracy helped SFA finish the game with a 10-of-22 (45.5-percent) showing from long range. As good as the 'Jacks were from long range, the Owls were anything but. Rice finished with a paltry 1-of-17 (5.9-percent) performance from beyond the arc, but managed to prevent matters from getting too out of hand by drilling 27 of its 46 free throws. 

"I think our guys are getting more conscious that we have to do a much better job of defending the three-point line if we want to really become great," SFA head coach Kyle Keller stated. "There are three areas we're majorly flawed in, in my opinion: we foul too much, we have to become a better rebounding team and we have to begin taking ownership of the three-point line on defense.

"There's no question that Kevon did great today, but we kept them in the game by fouling 33 times."

In addition to Harris' high-scoring output, the 'Jacks also received 18 points from Shannon Bogues who made the first start of his SFA career. The junior also delivered three rebounds, three assists and three of the 'Jacks' 17 steals. 

In all, SFA shot 43.9-percent (29-of-66) from the field and held Rice to just 17 field goals on 40 tries (42.5-percent). SFA's defense helped put the skids on the Owls, too, as the 'Jacks forced 27 turnovers in the non-conference battle. 

The only two leads Rice enjoyed came in the first three minutes of the game. Connor Cashaw drilled a pair of free throws to open the scoring on the afternoon and Ako Adams answered Ivan Canete's three-pointer with a runner in the paint which put the visitors up 4-3. 

From there, SFA asserted itself more and more from all angles of the court to begin pulling away. Five 'Jacks put in points during a 15-4 run which spanned 7:21 and culminated with a fast-break score by John Comeaux that pushed the hosts ahead 18-8 with 10:10 to go in the opening frame. 

Rice's Robert Margin shrank the 'Jacks' double-digit edge down to nine, 27-18, with a layup as 6:29 remained in the first, but senior Ty Charles - who led all playes with six assists in the rout - drained a wide-open triple which upped the hosts' lead to 30-18.

The 'Jacks' never saw their advantage dip below 10 points again and as the Owls continued to misfire from the field SFA's lead continued to grow.

Leon Gilmore III made it a 22-point margin - 79-57 - by taking to the sky for a one-handed, fast-break dunk with 3:323 left. 

Cashaw and Martin put in 13 points apiece for the Owls who fell to 2-7 with the loss. 

With a 9-1 record in hand, the 'Jacks will enjoy a break of one week before engaging in their most difficult non-conference stretch of the season. Next Saturday (Dec. 16), SFA begin a two-game swing against SEC opponents by embarking on a journey to Baton Rouge, La., to battle LSU for the first time in program history. Tip-off is slated for noon on the SEC Network. 

-SFA-