Stephen F. Austin wasn’t intimidated by No. 3 seed West Virginia as the No. 14 seed Lumberjacks came away with a 70-56 upset win on Friday night in the East Region in Brooklyn.
Even though they were facing the Mountaineers’ intimidating press defense, Stephen F. Austin was well prepared for it, as they only had seven turnovers and did a great job of converting free throws.
Senior Thomas Walkup, the two-time Southland Player of the Year, finished with 33 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals to lead the Lumberjacks as he went 19-for-20 from the free-throw line. Walkup had 27 points in the second half alone as he carried the Lumberjack offense for long periods of time.
Clide Geffard Jr. had 14 points for Stephen F. Austin.
After going 59-1 in the Southland Conference and beating No. 5 seed VCU as a No. 12 seed two years ago, Stephen F. Austin (28-5) came into this game as a dangerous No. 14 seed, as they’ve now won 21 consecutive games. Head coach Brad Underwood is a former assistant of Huggins, so he’s certainly familiar with how West Virginia plays and had his team prepared for this game.
West Virginia (26-9) becomes the third Big 12 seed to lose in the first round as a No. 3 seed the last two years as they turned the ball over 22 times. Junior big man Devin Williams led with 12 points and 17 rebounds.