WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.-- The Fire could taste the upset, but the bid came up just short. In a closely contested game, the #9 Keiser University Seahawks beat the Fire by a score of 68-64.
With the loss, Southeastern falls to 14-8 and 4-5 in conference play. The win boosted the ninth-ranked Seahawks to 20-2 and 8-1 in conference play.
In the first half, the Fire held the lead for the majority, leading by as much as seven points. At the 1:55 mark, Keiser took the 27-25 advantage and keep the Fire at bay for the remainder of the game.
The Fire showed guts in the second half, as they were able to tie the game four times and took a brief lead at the 9:22 mark on a
Jake Hodges 3-pointer. Unfortunately, the Seahawks were able to stay just out of reach and drain the clock.
In the final minute, the Fire had four opportunities to get within a possession, but the shooting trio of
Larry Taylor,
Matt Crowe, and
Deshawn Wilcox were unable to sink their 3-point attempts.
Hodges turned in an excellent performance, scoring 22 points and bringing down seven rebounds. Taylor had a solid performance as well, recording a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists.
Caleb Konieczny finished with 10 points and four rebounds.
The two teams will meet again on the last day of the regular season. Keiser will come to The Furnace on Senior Day on February 20 at 4 p.m.
Southeastern's next game will be Thursday evening at #11 Warner University. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
