LAKELAND, Fla.—The Fire women's basketball team will look to continue their winning ways as they take the court for the Sun Conference Tournament on Friday.
Southeastern will face the Florida Memorial Lions in the semifinal round of the conference tournament. The Lions, who finished the regular season with a 12-15 (9-7 TSC) record, are the number four seed in the bracket. Florida Memorial defeated Warner University by a score of 59-55 on Tuesday night to secure a spot in the semifinal matchup with the Fire.
Florida Memorial is captained by Abreona Cabell, who averages 14.33 points per game. Cabell also leads the Lions in rebounds, averaging 8.19 per game, which is good enough to rank her 38
th in the country in the category. Not only is Cabell a factor on the offensive end of the court, but she also contributes to the Lions' defensive efforts. Cabell forces just under two turnovers per game, leading Florida Memorial in steals, as well.
Southeastern capped off an undefeated regular season by routing Florida Memorial the last time they stepped on their home court. The Fire, who are 24-0 (16-0 TSC), lead the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to a mere 54.3 points per game, while keeping opposing teams to a nation-best 33.6 field goal percentage, as well. Not only is Southeastern one of the top defensive teams in the country, but, offensively, they also have the greatest field goal percentage in the country (48.4 percent). The Fire are certainly a complete team, as they rank in the top ten in the NAIA in the categories of points per game (82.375), assists per game (20.167), steals per game (12.875), and blocks per game (5.375).
Leading the charge for Southeastern is senior
Bailey Hooker. Hooker, who joined the 1000 point club earlier this year, averages a conference best 18.22 points per game.
Alyssa Ramos assists the team on offense by contributing 5.13 helpers per contest, a conference high. Ramos also takes care of the ball, as she ranks 2
nd in the country in assist/turnover ratio (4.241). Seniors
Christin Strawbridge and
Sarah Green handle a majority of the action in the paint. Strawbridge ranks 3
rd nationally in field goal percentage (62.8 percent), while Green rejects the second-most shots per game in the NAIA (2.667).
Head to head:
Southeastern controlled each of their regular season matchups with the Lions, winning by scores of 84-49 and 98-53. Hooker and Strawbridge both averaged 18 points over the two meetings, while Ramos added a combined 11 assists in the games. For Florida Memorial, Ashley Henry led scorers with a total of 29 points over the competitions.
Tipoff is scheduled for 5pm.
