LAKELAND, Fla.— Southeastern overcame a slow start to rout the Johnson & Wales Wildcats 86-59 as the Fire remained perfect on the season and moved to 3-0 in Sun Conference play.
A combination of turnovers and poor shooting kept the game close throughout the first half. The Fire turned the ball over nine times and shot a mere 2-10 from the floor to start the game, enabling the Wildcats to hold a slight lead 13-12 after ten minutes.
The end of the second quarter provided the Fire with momentum they needed to find their stride offensively. Southeastern closed the period on a 7-0 run, fueled by five straight points by Marlena Schmidt, to take a 34-27 advantage into the locker room. Schmidt finished the game with 12 points to go along with her eight boards.
Following the less-than-impressive opening half, the best shooting team in the country started taking care of the ball and knocking down shots.
After missing their initial shot of the frame, the Fire connected on their next ten attempts to blow open the competition. A 15-6 run that featured baskets by five separate players over the span of three minutes gave SEU a 57-38 lead late in the frame.
The Fire shot an impressive 63.3% in the final 20 minutes compared to the Wildcats' mere 31.4%.
Offensively, the Fire spread the ball around to seal the victory. Four players tallied double digit scoring efforts as Southeastern willed their way to victory over a scrappy Johnson & Wales side.
SEU's size was a key factor in the competition as passing down low led to outscoring the Wildcats 52-20 in the paint, allowing Southeastern to pull away and take the matchup by 27 points.
Senior Ana Richter captained the Fire with 25 points on 11-13 shooting, and added eight rebounds and four assists. The contest marked the seventh straight game that Richter scored at least 20 points, as the reigning National Player of the Week improved on her 67.5 field goal percentage.
Emma Karamovic added 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Haley Printz contributed with 14 points of her own and assisted on seven buckets.
The Fire return to action when they battle with Keiser in the Furnace on Saturday. Tip off is scheduled for 5 p.m.
