Men's Basketball Gearing Up For Ave Maria and Florida Memorial

LAKELAND, FLA.-- As Southeastern approaches the final few games of the regular season, chances to get back to the top of The Sun Conference are running thin.

Last week, the Fire dropped all three of their games.  On Tuesday, #9 Keiser had a hard time shaking off the scrappy Fire, but ended up getting away, 68-64.  Jake Hodges scored 22 points and seven rebounds while Larry Taylor turned in a 15-point, 11-assist performance.

It was a 68-64 game in the final minute; the Fire had four chances at 3-pointers, but missed all of them.  

The schedule didn't get any easier Thursday, as Southeastern went down to Lake Wales to take on #11 Warner in hopes of avenging the heartbreaking overtime loss the Royals handed them three weeks before.?  Unfortunately, it was deja vu all over again as the Royals scraped by the Fire in overtime, 97-96.

Crucial turnovers and missed free throws did the Fire in as the team missed 13 freebies from the line.

After an off day, the Fire hosted the St. Thomas Bobcats.  In their previous meeting in Miami, Southeastern got a clutch 3-pointer from Matt Crowe in the final seconds to give the Fire a 79-78 victory.  This time, however, the Bobcats had their revenge and came away with an 82-72 win.

In this loss, the shooting went cold for the Fire.  The team shot 36% and 6-21 from the 3-point line.

Southeastern will look to put their four-game losing streak behind them this week as they face Sun Conference opponents Ave Maria and Florida Memorial.

On Wednesday, the Fire will play the Gyrenes for their second meeting of the season.  In their last game, the Fire came away victorious by a score of 87-76.  The Gyrenes are 5-19 overall and 2-9 in conference play.  Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.

The shooting was working that night, as Taylor scored 27 points on 8-14 shooting and Caleb Konieczny turned in a 22-point performace, including 6-7 from the arc.  

Southeastern shot 47% (28-60) from the field and a scorching 57% (13-23) from the 3-point line.

The Fire will look to find that same shooting touch while looking out for Martez Harris.  Harris is averaging 16 points per game on 43.6% FG shooting.  Brandon Dean ranks 14th in NAIA Division II in 3-pointers made per game with 3.2.  The guard also leads the team in rebounding with 5.8 per game.

On Saturday, the Fire will face Florida Memorial at Johnson & Wales, a neutral site, at 2 p.m.  In their previous meeting, the Fire led by 12 with five minutes remaining.  That lead shrunk to five after the Lions drained three straight threes.  The deficit for the Lions was two with 18 seconds left; thankfully for Southeastern, the Lions missed all three of their shots in the final seconds as the Fire came away with a 91-89 win.

Coming into Saturday, Florida Memorial is 8-13 overall and 3-7 in conference play.  However, three of their last four losses came by a total of six points.

Their team is led by Samuel Dorismond who leads the team in points per game (11.7) and steals (25).  Devonte Bird leads the team in rebounding with 5.5 per game and averages 6.6 points per game.

You can keep up with the team by following them on Twitter at @SeuFireMBB.