The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks were riding high coming into their round of thirty-two match up after their upset win over West Virginia.  Out of the 20 fourteen seeds who won their first round game, only two have moved onto the Sweet Sixteen in the history of the NCAA Tournament by winning their second round game.  For the majority of this game, SFA looked as if they had what it took to become the third team to advance to the Sweet Sixteen as a fourteen seed.  By majority of the game, I mean that the Lumberjacks looked like they were headed to the Sweet Sixteen until Notre Dame’s Rex Pflueger tipped a missed shot with one second left to give the Fighting Irish a victory.  The tip-in game was the first two points that Pflueger had scored in the Tournament.

The game proved to be back and forth from the beginning.  Notre Dame jumped out to a lead only to have Stephen F. Austin erase the deficit and build a lead of their own.  Each team would at one point hold a five-point lead in the first half as Notre Dame grabbed a one-point lead heading into intermission.  The Irish maintained their slim lead for most of the second half before SFA and their star Thomas Walkup came roaring back to take a 75-70 lead with a minute and a half left to play, but the Lumberjacks couldn’t hold on and watched a trip to the Sweet Sixteen slip through their fingers.

SFA was led in scoring by senior Thomas Walkup.  He scored a game high 21 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists.  Also in double figures was T.J. Holyfield and Demetrious Floyd with 15 and 16 points respectively.  Notre Dame was led by Demetrious Jackson with 18 points.  Zach Auguste had a monster game with 16 points and 15 rebounds, and V.J. Beachum added 15 for the Irish.

Notre Dame moves on to face Wisconsin in the Sweet Sixteen.