14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin stuns West Virginia

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The lucky beard that makes Thomas Walkup look as if he could be the Stephen F. Austin mascot is staying on for at least a couple more days. The Lumberjacks’ winning streak reached 21 on Friday night with the biggest victory in school history.

Walkup scored 33 points and 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin faced down West Virginia’s full-court press with some of its own in-your-face defense, pulling off a rugged, 70-56 first-round upset of the third-seeded Mountaineers in the NCAA tournament.

The Lumberjacks (28-5) will look to extend the nation’s longest winning streak and reach the round of 16 against either six seed Notre Dame or No. 11 Michigan on Sunday at Barclays in the second round of the East Region.

As long as SFA keeps winning, Walkup said the beard, which he started growing in November, is safe.

“We’ve been winning, so I kept it for that reason,” he said.

The Mountaineers (26-9) and Lumberjacks played physical, chest-to-chest defense, contesting not just every shot, but every pass. Neither team shot better than 31 percent.

Walkup, the two-time Southland Conference player of the year, took it to the teeth of West Virginia’s defense and went to the line 20 times. He made 19, including two to make it 60-47 with 5:15 left in the second half after West Virginia coach Bob Huggins’ griping to officials drew a technical on the Mountaineers.

“When you don’t prepare the right way, not individually, but as a team, if we’re not dialed in as a team, that’s what happens,” West Virginia’s Devin Williams said.

Walkup said he could tell by the way West Virginia was talking in the media leading up to the game that the Mountaineers underestimated the Lumberjacks.

“We’re a smallish school, a mid-major school. They had never head of us,” Walkup said. “I’ve watched them play many times just on my own. They haven’t had that luxury. They know us now. Probably something that they won’t take for granted again.”

When Clide Geffard slammed home an alley-oop to make it 66-54 with 2:40 left, the Lumberjacks’ purple-clad supporters roared. Walkup followed with a 3-pointer for good measure.

“It felt incredible. To do that for the team, for the city of Nacogdoches (Louisiana), for the school, for everyone that supported us,” the senior said.

West Virginia came in leading the nation in steals per game at just under 10. Press Virginia, the Mountaineers call it, but they met their match in Stephen F. Austin. The Lumberjacks lead the nation in turnovers forced at nearly 19 per game, though they do it more with half-court traps and tight man-to-man. They turned over West Virginia 22 times and only gave it away seven times.

“I don’t know why anybody would waste energy pressing us,” Huggins said. “We’ll throw it to you regardless. That would be a waste of energy really. We’re very charitable. We’re one of the most charitable groups in college basketball. The second straight game we’ve turned it over 20 times.”

The Lumberjacks said they weren’t flustered by West Virginia’s frenetic defense because they play that way, too.

“It was like a practice out there,” SFA guard Jared Johnson said.

Making its third straight NCAA appearance under coach Brad Underwood, Stephen F. Austin won in the first round for the second time.