LAKELAND, Fla. - After a thrashing of Sun Conference opponent Ave Maria this past Saturday, the Fire women's basketball team aims to duplicate their stellar play against two teams making the trip north. Both St. Thomas University and Keiser University will take to the hardwood against a Fire team that is truly unstoppable.
Game 15: Southeastern University (14-0, The Sun Conference 6-0) vs. St. Thomas University (6-8, The Sun Conference 3-1)
Live Video
Live Stats
Game 16: Southeastern University (14-0, The Sun Conference 6-0) vs. Keiser University (11-6, The Sun Conference 4-1)
Live Video
Live Stats
Sun Conference Standings: The Southeastern University Fire sit atop of the Sun Conference standings with a perfect record. Propelling the Fire are the conference leaders of assists, steals, and blocks. Alyssa Ramos, Ana Richter and Sarah Green all lead a respective category. While these three women lead the conference, the Fire are comprised of a depth chart littered with talent. This week, however, they will face the two teams directly on their heels.
Keiser University, currently ranked second in the standings, are led by coach Pam Oswald in her second year at the helm. In their past two contests, the Seahawks downed conference foes and will face Warner University before their game inside the Furnace on Saturday. An offense driven through Kaylee Patton, who averages 14.47 points per game, will have a tall task if they wish to defeat and overcome the Fire in the conference standings.
The Bobcats of St. Thomas University are in a tight race for second place. Seated third, the Bobcats, led by the scoring of Supavadee Kunchuan, are one game back from the Seahawks. Forcing turnovers is something the Bobcats are able to accomplish throughout the duration of the game. Throughout the season, the Bobcats recorded 172 steals compared to their opponents 102.
Previous Meetings with the Bobcats: All time, the Bobcats have the upper hand on the Fire, however, in the past three meetings the Fire have downed the Bobcats. In last years contest, the Fire's Bailey Hooker had the hot hand from beyond the arc shooting 67% from downtown. The matchup between the two is surely to be intriguing due to the fact that it will be the first time the two have met this 2016-17 campaign.
Previous Meetings with the Seahawks: Dating back to the 2009-2010 season, the Fire and the Seahawks have exchanged blows. As it stands, the Fire currently lead the all time series against Keiser, formerly known as Northwood, 8-6. In the contest dating back to December of this past year, the Fire won handling 78-65 with a 17-point performances from senior Christin Strawbridge and UC Irvine Transfer Jenny Dee.
Meet and Greet: Following Saturday's game, we would like to invite you all to a short "meet and greet" hosted by the Fire Club. This event will give you an opportunity to hear from the coaches and players, and receive the "inside scoop" on the team. If you are interested in attending the game this Saturday and supporting the Fire, please RSVP to FireClub@seu.edu to reserve your complimentary tickets and admission to this event which will include drinks and light snacks.
Closing Thoughts: Play down low on the blocks will be something to take note of as the Fire battle the Bobcats. The Fire have been dominant inside of the paint partly because of outstanding play from Strawbridge and Green. The Bobcats will look to counter the Fire's threat with Emily Erameh and Kunchuan who stand 6'3 and 6'0 respectively.
According to the Massey Ratings the Fire have the the third best offense in all of NAIA women's basketball. Their defense who is ranked 10th in all of the NAIA will take on Keiser's 90th ranked offense and St. Thomas' 113th ranked offense. Regardless of any numbers, the Fire must continue to play fundamentally sound basketball if they wish to continue to make history.
