BABSON PARK, Fla.—A great first half effort went to the wayside for the Fire men's basketball team in an 85-82 loss at Webber International in its penultimate Sun Conference game of the year.
The Fire, looking to secure a berth in The Sun Conference Tournament, jumped out to a 52-42 advantage at the halftime intermission. Southeastern (15-13) hit 46% from the field in the first half, and was paced by the play of senior
Jake Hodges' 18 points.
In the second half, the Fire committed eight turnovers, hit just 2-of-11 from 3-point range, and 2-of-6 at the free throw line, and were outscored 43-30.
A 9-0 run that spanned nearly 3:30 of the second half got the hosts within a point, but a jumper by Hodges pushed the lead back to 61-58 with 12:29 left.
The last time the Fire held a lead was following a
Larry Taylor 3-pointer with 5:58 left, making it 76-74. Southeastern was unable to get the stops necessary in the final minutes to have a chance to tie or take the lead.
Hodges finished with a team-best 24 points.
Isaac Barsh added 18 points, and a career-high 24 rebounds. Taylor (10) and
Caleb Konieczny (10) were also in double figures in scoring.
The Fire will close out the regular season next Saturday, when they host Keiser at 4 p.m.
