Women's Basketball | 2/1/2017 8:30:00 AM
LAKELAND, Fla. - As the final games of the season approach for the Fire, the marvelous streak is still intact.
The Fire have just one week to prepare for another game against Thomas University, a team that they beat by 26 points last Thursday. On the other hand, it will be 21 days since the Fire last played St. Thomas University.
Game 20: Southeastern University (19-0, The Sun Conference 11-0) vs. Thomas University (7-12, The Sun Conference 4-7)
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Game 21: Southeastern University (19-0, The Sun Conference 11-0) at St. Thomas University (10-11, The Sun Conference 6-4)
Live Video
Live Stats
The Ramos Effect: Alyssa Ramos is a leader of this Fire team that has delivered all throughout her career at Southeastern University. A two time Honorable Mention NAIA All American, Ramos is currently the record holder for three pointers and three point field goals with 127 and 293 respectively. She is currently slated fourth on the all time points list and led her team to the NAIA National Tournament last season. In the 2016-17 campaign, the Carlsbad, California native is the Sun Conference leader in assists totalling 97 thus far. Her basketball IQ and ability to shoot the deep ball are what separates Ramos from her opponents.
The Strawbridge Show: It is by no coincidence that the Fire are one of the best, if not the best paint presence teams in all of the country. A huge factor into the paint equation is the play of Christin Strawbridge. The 2016 Polk County Female athlete of the year and 2016 NAIA Second-Team All American is one of the driving forces that have helped the Fire achieve so much thus far in the 2016-17 season. Last year the Lakeland, Florida native posted a record breaking season. Strawbridge shot 63% from the field last season which is good for the top spot on the Women's Basketball Season Records list. This season, Strawbridge is averaging an impressive 14.1 points per game and leads the team in rebounding with 112. Her ability to create space down low and being a reliable shooting target on the blocks is another of the many reasons for the Fire's success.
Previous Game Against the Night Hawks: The Fire showed no mercy against the sixth ranked team in the Sun Conference Standings. After jumping out to a seven point lead after the first quarter, the the Fire played lockdown defense in the in the final ten minutes before half time. In the second quarter the Fire only surrendered two points. Sarah Green played a big role for the Fire in the paint claiming three victims by way of blocks. When the final buzzer sounded four members of the Fire recorded double-digit points including Bailey Hooker who finished with an impressive 30 points.
The area that Thomas excelled in was their bench play. Of the 33 total bench points, Micah Garvin had 17. The Junior from Longwood, Florida shot 50% from the floor and took two trips to the charity stripe where she made three of four.
Furthermore, the Night Hawks gained a bit offensive traction in the second half as they scored 23 points in both the third and the fourth quarters. While shooting only 30% from the floor, Kriza Allen was able to draw fouls against the Fire. Allen, a native of Decatur, Illinois, was a perfect seven for seven from the foul line and finished the game with 13 points.
Overall, the Fire proved why they are the undisputed Sun Conference leaders. Their depth and ability to generate scoring chances with ball movement are unmatched by opponents all season long.
Previous Game Against the Bobcats: Arguably the toughest conference game the Fire played all year came against the St. Thomas Bobcats. Head coach Albrey Grimsley discovered a way in mid-January to disrupt the Fire and it was by way of trapping defense.
After a dominating 21-8 first quarter by the Fire, the Bobcats instituted a trapping style defense that somewhat disrupted the Fire. From this style, the Bobcats were able to generate 15 turnovers compared to only surrendering 10.
While the Fire's Hooker had 18 points and Strawbridge tallied 13 points, the difference maker was the play from the Fire's bench player Cassidy Block. A graduate student this year, Block contributed in all facets of the game. The native of Naperville, Illinois scored 12 points, collected eight rebounds, five of which were offensive, and shot 75% from beyond the arc.
After that game against the Bobcats other teams tried to implement the trap defense but to no avail. Due to the hard work of head coach Tim hays and the countless hours reviewing film, the team that the Bobcats saw back in mid-January is not the same Fire team they will face off against on Saturday.
For updates on all of the action, follow @SEUFireWBB on Twitter.
