LAKELAND, FLA.-- The shooting started hot and stayed hot. In a fast-paced, action packed contest, the Southeastern men's basketball team downed the Ave Maria University Gyrenes by a score of 87-76.
With the win, the Fire improve to 12-6 overall and 2-3 in Sun Conference play. They have also won six of their past seven. Ave Maria falls to 4-13 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
It took three minutes for the Fire to get on the board, but
Jake Hodges dropped in a basket to get the offense going. Soon after,
Caleb Konieczny knocked down two straight 3-balls to give the Fire an 8-7 lead at the 15:01 mark. Konieczny maintained his reputation of being one of the top perimeter threats in the conference, as he drained six of his seven 3-point attempts to finish with 22 points for the night.
The Fire maintained a slim lead throughout the first half, leading by as many as seven at one point. The game was tied three times and featured three lead changes.
The 3-point shooting in the first half was helpful for Southeastern, as the team shot 54% on 7-13 shooting. The team also shot 45% on 14-31 FG shooting.
Larry Taylor really got going in the second half. He scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half, including a two-minute stretch where he scored 10 straight points for the Fire offense, including a pair of unassisted 3-balls. The end of the hot stretch put the Gyrenes in desperation mode, as they resorted to intentional fouls for the last minute and a half.
Southeastern shot 60% from the arc on 6-10 shooting, and shot 48% on 14-29 FG shooting.
On top of his 27, Taylor finished with seven rebounds and seven assists. Hodges scored 17 points, collected six rebounds, and dished out four assists.
Matt Crowe finished with three points and a team-high nine rebounds.
The Fire are back in action Thursday night as the Thomas University Night Hawks come to town. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at The Furnace.
