Preview: Chicago State Men's Basketball Welcomes Stephen F. Austin to the JCC

The Chicago State men's basketball team is scheduled to host Stephen F. Austin on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Jones Convocation Center in Chicago. The Cougars enter the contest 6-17 overall and 2-8 in the Western Athletic Conference while Stephen F. Austin is 15-8 overall and 7-4 in conference play. The Cougars and Lumberjacks will play two times in a week, first Thursday, then the following 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.

Thursday's game will be the second all-time meeting between the two schools and first in Chicago. The Cougars and Lumberjacks played in Nacogdoches on Dec. 11, 2010 with Stephen F. Austin winning 94-38. Chicago State is 2-8 in conference games this season which is already more wins than the Cougars posted in league play since 2014-15 when CSU finished 4-10. The year prior, 2013-14, the first year the Cougars competed in the Western Athletic Conference, Chicago State went 8-8 in league play and 13-19 overall.

COVID Protocols:
Face Coverings and Social Distancing will be implemented during athletically related activities to prevent transmission and prevent outbreaks based on current local guidelines.

PLEASE NOTE: Per City of Chicago and Cook County mandates, effective Jan 3, patrons to the Jones Convocation Center must show proof of vaccination in accordance with updated requirements. This is applicable to all patrons ages 5 and over.

Here's how to watch, follow and attend:

Last time out...vs. Tarleton State

Dominique Alexander made his seventh consecutive start and had averaged 13.0 points per game in the previous six but scored just four points, his lowest total among all his starts this season. He entered the game ranked third in the WAC in free throw percentage (85.7) and didn't record any trips to the charity stripe and moved up one spot, from fifth, to a tie for fourth.

After coming off a season-high 18 points at Abilene Christian, Coreyoun Rushin established career and season highs in rebounds (15) and assists (5) at Tarleton.

Rushin has recorded five double-figure rebound games this season and leads the Cougars in double-doubles with three, the last coming at Abilene Christian (Feb. 2) when he scored a season and Cougars career-high 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds.

Brandon Betson led the team in scoring for the eighth time this season with 16 points and established season highs in free throws attempted (6) and made (5). He has eclipsed the 20-point mark four times this year and has scored in double figures 18 times this season. He has converted at least one three-point field goal in 20 of 23 games this season and leads the team in three-point percentage (54-142, .380) which currently ranks sixth on CSU's single-season leaders list in that category. Betson is also the only Cougars player to start (23) and play (23) every game this season.

Kedrick Green scored a season-high 14 points and established season high in both field goals made (5) and three-point field goals made (3) off the bench. He had missed seven consecutive games before returning to the floor against Dixie State where he scored nine points in just 11 minutes.

As a team, Chicago State ranks fourth in the WAC in three-pointers made with 175 and fifth in offensive rebounds, averaging 11.6 per game.

Milestones...
Chicago State's season-opening win over St. Thomas was head coach Gerald Gillion's first as a collegiate head coach ... That win also snapped a 28-game Cougars losing streak, dating back to December 2019, an 89-81 win over SIUE in Edwardsville, Illinois ... The game against St. Thomas was the Cougars first action in nearly a year, last playing Dec. 20, 2020, in what turned out to be a nine-game, COVID-shortened 2020-21 season ... The Cougars win over SIUE (67-56) marked the Cougars first two-game win streak over Division I opponents since the 2014-15 season (Feb. 26 vs. GCU, W, 74-70; Feb. 28 vs. Utah Valley, 65-44) ... Chicago State won three straight home games for the first time since 2018-19 after winning the first three home games of the 2021-22 season ... The road win over IUPUI win was the Cougars first on the road this season and first road win since Dec. 4, 2019 at SIUE (89-81), a span of 24 games away from the Jones Convocation Center (includes two neutral site games) ... the Cougars earned their first Western Athletic Conference victory since March 2018 (vs. UMKC, W 96-82) when the Cougars beat California Baptist 58-56 at home on Jan. 8 ... Chicago State's 67-56 win at Lamar was the Cougars first conference road victory since Jan. 12, 2017 when CSU beat Utah Valley in Orem, 70-61.