The Sul Ross State men's basketball team is trying to do something that hasn't been done since the 2019-20 campaign.
Sporting an 8-7 overall record, the Lobos are seeking to end the season with their first winning record in four years.
Only five home games remain in the second half as the Lobos host Howard Payne University at 3 p.m. CST on Saturday, Jan. 13.
>> THE LOBOS:
Sul Ross State ranks third in the American Southwest Conference in scoring as it averages 76.2 points per game.
The Lobos also rank second in the ASC in team field goal percentage (46%), fourth in field goals made (417), tied for second in three-point field goal percentage (33%), first in rebounds (574) and first in assists (254).
Sul Ross State is 7-3 at home after it went 5-2 during a seven-game homestand from Nov. 20-Dec. 4.
The Lobos haven't had a winning record at home since the 2019-20 season when they went 9-2, which included an ASC quarterfinal win over the former Louisiana College.
Sul Ross State recorded its first winning record during the first half of the season since 2017 when the program had a 9-4 start.
Tyler Jackson is 10th in the conference in rebounding with 87 total rebounds while he is No. 1 in field goal percentage (58%) and sixth in free throws made (46).
Gabe Sanchez leads the Lobos in scoring with 201 points as he averages 13.4 a game. Sanchez is third in the ASC in three-point field goals made (37).
Myles Amason, a 6-foot-10 freshman out of Fort Worth, Texas, ranks sixth in the conference with 14 blocked shots.
Omar Ibarra leads Sul Ross State with 35 assists while
Hayden Peterson ranks first on the squad with 21 steals.
>> SCOUTING HOWARD PAYNE:
Similar to Sul Ross State, Howard Payne is also riding a two-game losing streak after dropping both games on its east Texas road trip to LeTourneau (92-79) and East Texas Baptist (89-72).
Howard Payne won its previous two games before the road trip as it defeated Mary Hardin-Baylor (96-79) and Concordia (93-85) at home.
The Yellow Jackets led the conference with 1,279 points scored as they average 85.3 points per game.
Howard Payne hit the century mark twice this season with a 113-111 win over Southwestern University and a 104-100 victory at McMurry.
Hudson Johnson is the fifth-best scorer in the ASC as he averages 16.7 points a game.
Howard Payne is 5-3 at home and 3-4 on the road.
Sul Ross State has never lost to Howard Payne at home, sporting a 12-0 record. The Lobos are 20-4 against Howard Payne since 2011.
The Lobos are 13-1 against the Yellow Jackets since Jan. 28, 2017.
>> CONFERENCE OUTLOOK:
The Lobos are ineligible from competing at the ASC tournament due to the reclassification to NCAA Division II.
Hardin-Simmons sits atop the conference with a perfect record of 5-0 while it is 11-2 overall, riding an eight-game winning streak.
Hardin-Simmons is the only team in the ASC receiving votes in the d3hoops.com top 25 men's poll.
LeTourneau is in second with a record of 9-5 (4-2).
The next five spots are highly contested between the University of Texas at Dallas (7-6, 3-2), Mary Hardin-Baylor (7-6, 3-3), East Texas Baptist (7-7, 3-3), Concordia (6-8, 3-3) and Howard Payne (8-7, 3-5).
>> REMAINING HOME GAMES:
After the Howard Payne matchup, the Lobos will not return to the Pete P. Gallego Center until Thursday, Jan. 25 when they tip-off with Hardin-Simmons at 7:30 p.m. CST and McMurry on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 3 p.m. CST.
The final two home games of the season are on Thursday, Feb. 8 against LeTourneau University at 7:30 p.m. CST and East Texas Baptist on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. CST.
BACK AT HOME
>> WHO: Howard Payne University (8-7, 3-5) vs. Sul Ross State (8-7)
>> WHEN: 3 p.m. CST (Saturday, Jan. 13)
>> WHERE: Pete P. Gallego Center (Alpine, Texas)
>> RADIO: KVLF 98.7 FM (bigbendradio.com)
>> HOW TO WATCH: https://boxcast.tv/view/lobo-mens-basketball-vs-howard-payne-university-aeynhswym5oyaenciwq1?_gl=1*16rbwhk*_ga*MTM5NjM4NDI5My4xNjk5ODkwNDcz*_ga_PXBBF7HVWQ*MTcwNDIxMTQxNy45NC4xLjE3MDQyMTE3MDYuMC4wLjA
>> LIVE STATS: https://srlobos.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
