NORTH MIAMI, Fla. – The Southeastern University men's basketball team dropped a tough road contest to the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats 72-61.
JWU jumped out to an early 21-9 lead with 9:45 to go in the first half. However, the Fire answered back, outscoring the Wildcats 19-6 the rest of the half including eight unanswered points in the final 2:50.
Senior guard
Jalen McCallum was a key part of the early offensive success for SEU. The IUPUI transfer scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half. McCallum also created scoring opportunities with his defensive play, recording three steals in each half of play.
The Fire held a 36-34 advantage over the Wildcats at halftime.
Southeastern had a difficult second half of shooting, going 22.22% from the field (6-27) including 12.5% from behind the arc. Johnson & Wales knocked down 55.17% of their second half field goals.
A 10-0 run by JWU from the 8:42-4:26 mark put the Wildcats up 67-51.
The Fire did not give up, responding with a 9-0 run of their own. A pair of free throws from freshman guard
Jeremy Oppenheimer trimmed the deficit to 67-60 with 2:09 to play.
However, Johnson & Wales responded with field goals on back to back possessions to close out the game.
Junior guard
CJ Reese led all scorers with 18 points. Junior forward
Wesley Johnson was also a double digit scorer, posting 14 points while hauling in five boards.
SEU will look to close out the regular season with a win over Keiser University. The Fire host the Seahawks on Senior Night, next Saturday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
