Men's Basketball Hosts Florida Memorial, Johnson and Wales

LAKELAND, FLA.-- The ball is starting to bounce Southeastern's way.
 
There were two Sun Conference games that the Fire would need to win if they wanted to climb back to the top of the conference standings and earn a spot in the NAIA Division II Top 25.
 
The Fire won both of their games last week over Ave Maria and Thomas.  Against Ave Maria, Caleb Konieczny connected on six of his seven three-point attempts on his way to finishing with 22 points for the night.  Larry Taylor came alive in the second half of the game as he scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half.  There was a period of time where Taylor scored 10 straight points for the Fire offense.  Southeastern came away victorious by a score of 87-76.
 
Against Thomas, the shooting started hot and stayed hot for the duration of the game.  The offense drained 13 3-balls and shot 46% from the field in a convincing 94-69 win.  Taylor and Jake Hodges scored 22 points apiece, and Matt Crowe scored a career-high 15 points.  After going 5-of-7 from the 3-point line, Crowe now stands alone as the most efficient shooter in NAIA Division II, leading the country by shooting at 55.8% from the arc.
 
When the NAIA Division II Top 25 Poll came out on Wednesday, the Fire were back in the rankings at No. 24. SEU hadn't been ranked in the last three editions of the poll.
 
After last week's wins, the Fire are now 13-6 overall and 3-3 in Sun Conference play.  The team is also riding a three-game winning streak.
 
Sun Conference play will continue Wednesday night, as the Florida Memorial University Lions will come to town.  The Lions will come into the contest with an 8-9 overall record and a 3-3 record in conference play.  Stopping guard Samuel Dorismond will be the key for the Fire defense, as Dorismond leads the Lions with 12.6 points per game and leads the defense with 22 steals on the year.  The team ranks 10th in DII defensive FG percentage with 40%.  Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. in The Furnace.
 
On Saturday, the Fire will host the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats. The Wildcats have proven to be a thorn in the side for the Fire, as Johnson & Wales swept the season series last year and previously beat the Fire this year by a score of 99-64.  The Wildcats are 10-5 this year and 3-2 in conference play.  Their defense is their main strength, as they rank third in defensive 3-pt percentage with 27.9%, and fourth in defensive FG percentage with 38.3%.  
 
The team is led by forward Ricardo Suarez.  The junior leads the team in PPG (15.57), rebounds per game (7.7), and steals (31).
 
Saturday's tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. in The Furnace.
 
You can keep up with Southeastern men's basketball by following @SEUFireMBB on Twitter.