KATY, Texas (AP) — Darius Gardner, Jonathan King and Antonio Bostic scored 13 points apiece Wednesday to pace Stephen F. Austin to a 68-46 victory over Sam Houston State in the quarterfinals of the Southland Conference tournament.
The second-seeded Lumberjacks shot 56 percent (20 of 36), winning their sixth straight and reaching 20 victories for the sixth time since joining Division I in 1988. Stephen F. Austin (20-11) will face Lamar or Northwestern State in the semifinals Thursday.
Konner Tucker led the seventh-seeded Bearkats (13-19) with 11 points.
In beating Sam Houston State for the third time this season, the Lumberjacks made 24 of 30 free throws to just 3 of 7 for the Bearkats.
Stephen F. Austin’s 9-0 run turned a 24-22 lead into a 33-22 advantage with 19:08 left. Sam Houston State got no closer than 38-34 after that.
The Bearkats had eliminated the Lumberjacks each of the last two seasons.
