KATY — The chant from SFA fans changed with a minute to go from "S-F-A" to "N-C-A-A."
Yes, SFA and the NCAA Tournament now can been mentioned together.
Riding the performances of the Southland Conference's last two Player of the Year winners and receiving a big boost from others, the Lumberjacks won the SLC Tournament and the school's first-ever NCAA berth with a 68-57 decision over Texas-San Antonio here at the Merrell Center Sunday.
Senior center Matt Kingsley scored 20 points and senior forward Josh Alexander and sophomore guard Eddie Williams each scored 16 for SFA (24-7), which will play Syracuse Friday in a first-round NCAA game in Miami, Fla.
Ahead 37-28 at halftime, SFA kept No. 6-seeded UTSA at arm's length for the second half. The Roadrunners closed to within five points (61-56) with 2:10 remaining before the Lumberjacks closed with a 7-1 run.
Kingsley, the regular season's Player of the Year, was named tournament MVP. Alexander, last year's Player of the Year in the league, and Williams were all-tournament selections.
"This is great," Kingsley said. "It's something I could never have guessed would happen.
"This year has really been unbelievable. When it's all said and done, we'll look back and say 'we're going to the NCAA Tournament.'"
"It's crazy," Williams said. "You dream of this as a kid."
"Four years — we finally made it," Alexander said. "We've finally got to where we want to go — that's the NCAA Tournament."
Kingsley hit 8-of-13 shots and 4-of-6 free throws in reaching 20 points or more for the ninth game this season. Alexander's 16-point game is his fourth straight in double figures.
The biggest surprise was Williams, who had not scored in double figures since Jan. 28, a stretch of 12 games.
He scored 10 second-half points to turn back the Roadrunners' upset chances.
SFA led 54-48 with 7:04 remaining, when SFA coach Danny Kaspar called the plays "Yellow" and then "Hero," — hard back cuts to the goal with the ball at the top of the circle.
"We got two layups," Kaspar said. "UTSA was really out in the passing lanes and overplaying us. Eddie is very athletic. He can change directions very well.
"You always have players who are going to step up or step down. Eddie Williams stepped up."
UTSA was still within six (58-52) of the lead with about four minutes to play, when senior forward Nick Shaw hit junior Walt Harris on another back-door cut. Harris couldn't convert the shot while being fouled. He hit one of two free throws for a 59-52 lead.
UTSA's last gasp came when it cut the lead to 61-56 on a lay-in by sophomore guard Devin Gibson with 2:10 remaining.
SFA countered by freeing Alexander for a layup for a 64-56 edge.
The Lumberjacks shot free throws from there to put the game away.
Gibson led UTSA with 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the floor and 5-of-6 free throws.
But his surrounding cast was held in check.
Forward Travis Gabbidon added 10 points. Point guard Omar Johnson was limited to 7 points and 3 assists with 4 turnovers.
Junior guard Joey Shank, who had hit nine 3-pointers in tournament wins over Sam Houston and Nicholls State, was 0-for-3 from the field and was limited to two free throws.
"They weren't going to allow Joey to get his shots," UTSA coach Brooks Thompson said. "They are a really solid defensive team that guards the 3-point line. You have to give them credit for that."
Shaw scored 5 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Junior guard Eric Bell scored 4 points and contributed 9 assists and 3 steals.
Harris added 4 points, and guard Girod Adams put in 3.
SFA's defense, ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation this season, held UTSA to 41 percent shooting from the field.
A Roadrunner offense that attempted and made the most 3-point shots of any other SLC team had mixed results, going 7-of-27 from afar, including 3-of-16 in the second half.
Both teams came out hot.
SFA led 8-3 early, but UTSA strung together some scoring possessions to capture a 22-17 lead with 11 minutes left in the half.
"In the timeout, I said, 'they're throwing their best punch at us, and we're not falling,'" Kaspar said. "We took some hard blows. Devin Gibson was hitting everything he was throwing up there."
Williams scored on a drive and Alexander put in a layup to draw the Lumberjacks to within 22-21. Shaw gave SFA the lead for good (26-22) with a 3-pointer in part of a 20-11 Lumberjack run that began with the game tied at 17-17.
SFA never could put the knockout blow to the Roadrunners, who trailed by 13 (52-39) with 11 minutes left after Williams scored on a fast-break layup.
UTSA responded with a 9-2 run, capped on a 3-pointer by Brown.
But the Lumberjacks stayed aggressive on offense by taking the ball to the goal. UTSA rushed its shots, most of them 3-pointers, including a handful from 6-7 post Demarco Stepter.
"Our guys came out and played as hard as they could," Thompson said. "They don't feel like they played as well as they could.
"SFA is very experienced. We have a lot of guys who we look to the future with. They came as close as they could. They just fell short."
