KISSIMMEE, Fla. – On a day where four different players for the Fire were double digit scorers, the Southeastern University Fire defeated host school, the Johnson University Suns, 86-71. With the win SEU finished a perfect 2-0 in the Johnson Classic and improved to 6-5 on the season.
The game was a back and forth affair early on, with five lead changes in the first ten minutes of play. Strong post play in the first half from junior forward
Wesley Johnson overmatched the Suns. Johnson found the rim for ten points in the first half to lead the Fire to a 38-32 halftime lead.
SEU looked to build separation at the start of the second half, opening things up on a 17-7 run. Junior guard C.J. Reese fueled the run, scoring eight points in a span of 2:11. The College Park, Ga. native continued his impressive weekend debut, finishing the game with a team-high 25 points and seven assists.
Junior guard
Harrison Hebert found his rhythm on offense down the stretch, scoring 11 of his 14 points in the second half. In his last three games, Hebert is shooting 60% from the field (12-20), including 58.3% from three point range (7-12) in the second half.
The Fire grew their lead to as many as 20 in the second half, with the Suns only being able to cut the deficit to as low as 14. Southeastern closed things out at the free throw line, shooting 11-15 in the second half.
"We've had leads in the second half of games before and couldn't close them out because we didn't have control at the free throw line. So it was big for us to get in the bonus early," shared Head Coach
R-Jay Barsh.
Freshman guard
Jeremy Oppenheimer also turned in a performance worthy of recognition, totaling 17 points, three assists, and two steals.
"As a coach, I'm glad we came out here this weekend, played two solid teams, and got better and ready for Florida National," commented Coach Barsh.
SEU will look to continue its winning streak as it travels to Miami for a pair of games in the STU Classic. The first game for the Fire will be versus the Florida National University Conquistadors on Monday at 5 p.m.
