Box Score The Chicago State men's basketball team fell to Stephen F. Austin 81-61 Thursday night at the Jones Convocation Center in Chicago. The Cougars rebounded from a slow start, only hitting one of their first eight shots, to keep the game close through the first half but the Lumberjacks pulled away for the 20-point win.
With the loss, the Cougars fall to 6-18 overall and 2-9 in the Western Athletic Conference while Stephen F. Austin improves to 16-8 overall and 8-4 in conference play.
The two teams will play two times in a week, following tonight's game, the two will meet again Wednesday, Feb. 16 in Nacogdoches, Texas. The Lumberjacks will play the Cougars back-to-back while Chicago State will welcome Sam Houston State between meetings.
Bryce Johnson led the Cougars with 15 points while
Brandon Betson and
Coreyoun Rushin each added 13 and
Jahsean Corbett 12. Dominque Alexander had seven rebounds to lead the team and Betson added a team-high five assists.
The Cougars opened the scoring with a pair of free throws by
Coreyoun Rushin but struggled from the field with a 1-for-8 start and the Lumberjacks took advantage with a 12-2 run and led 12-4 with 11:37 remaining in the first half. Rushin snapped the run with a bucket and the score ignited the Cougars scoring. At the point, Chicago State converted 7-of-9 from the field, including 5-8 from the three-point arc to pull within six, 29-23, at the 5:33 mark.
Bryce Johnson and
Brandon Betson each knocked down a pair of threes and
Kedrick Green one during the stretch. The Lumberjacks responded with a 5-0 run to extend the lead to 11, 34-23, before Johnson and Rushin scored to cut the gap to 34-27. The half end with both teams converting a pair from the free throw line and Stephen F. Austin led at the half 38-29.
The Cougars pulled to within six early in the second half, 39-33, before the teams starting exchanging scores and the Lumberjacks started to dominate in the paint, eventually outscoring the Cougars 46-24 from close range. SFA had a 6-2 run to push the lead to double digits, 45-35, and Chicago State wouldn't get closer than seven the rest of the way
The Cougars will be back in action Saturday at the Jones Convocation Center, hosting Sam Houston State on Feb. 12 at 2 p.m. in the "Old Skool Game" featuring throwback uniforms. The matchup with Sam Houston is the first between the two schools only scheduled meeting this season as the Cougars will not make the trip to Huntsville, Texas for the typical home-and-home conference matchup. The Bearkats are currently 14-11 overall and 9-2 in conference play.
About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. In 1991, the Chicago State women's tennis team became the first all-black college team to amass an unbeaten season at the NCAA level. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title, also making an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet. Chicago State volleyball recorded a historic season in 2021, with Yanlis Feliz becoming CSU's first volleyball All-American and head coach Tony Trifonov earning selection as WAC Coach of the Year.
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