MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.—A 19-point lead is usually enough to get you a win. The Fire men's basketball team built a 19-point lead and held on for a 74-71 victory over Siena Heights in its first game of The Athletes Meals Classic hosted by St. Thomas University.
In the first half, the Fire (7-5) used a 60% field goal shooting performance, along with solid half-court defense to take a 38-22 lead at halftime. The key was a 9-0 run by SEU, which gave it a 24-10 lead with 8:36 left in the first.
The script flipped in the second 20 minutes as the Saints (5-10) shot 61% from the field, forced nine Southeastern turnovers, and saw the Fire hit just 1-of-4 from 3-point range.
Caleb Konieczny scored SEU's first five points of the second half, giving the Fire a 43-24 lead with 19:14 left in the contest. Following a
Larry Taylor layup at the 14:23 mark, the Saints went on a 9-0 run over the next 3:11 which cut the gap to five (51-46).
A 3-pointer with 7:57 left in the game tied it at 58.
Elijah Ray broke the tie after a failed opportunity by the Saints to take their first lead of the night, and kept the Fire on top.
The Saints had the ball with 11 seconds remaining, down three following a timeout, but were unable to get a 3-point shot to fall.
Ray finished with a team-best 26 points and 11 rebounds, connecting on 11-of-15 from the field. Taylor added 14 points, and
Jake Hodges was also in double figures with 10 points, going 6-of-6 at the free throw line.
The Fire are back in action tomorrow in Miami Gardens against the University of the Virgin Islands at 5:00 p.m.
