March 14, 2009

KATY, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack basketball team has just one final obstacle between itself and the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA Championships. The Lumberjacks are set to take on UTSA Sunday in the finals of the 2009 State Farm Southland Conference Tournament, with the winner earning the league's automatic bid to The Big Dance.

The game is scheduled to start at noon from Katy ISD's Merrell Center. It will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

SFA is the tournament's No. 1 seed. The `Jacks knocked off No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday and defeated No. 4 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Friday night to make Sunday's title game. UTSA is seeded sixth, but the Roadrunners upset a pair of higher seeds to get into the finals, defeating No. 3 Sam Houston State Thursday and No. 2 Nicholls State Friday.

The Lumberjacks (23-7) are in the SLC title game for the third time in program history and the first time since they took on UTSA (19-12) in San Antonio in the finals of the 2004 tournament. That contest marked SFA's second straight trip to the championship game, but the Roadrunners came away with a 74-70 win.

Sunday's game is SFA's first finals round appearance since the Southland Conference resumed its neutral-site format for the postseason tournament three years ago.

Dave Barnett and Mike Kelley will have the call for ESPN2's broadcast, as well as the presentation on ESPN360.com. The game will be available via radio in the Houston area on SportsRadio 610, with Marc Vandermeer and Robert Henslee calling the action. Rob Meyers will handle the SFA broadcast for Q107.7-FM.

-- SFA --