Box Score Miami Gardens, Fla. – In The Sun Conference Women's Basketball game of the week, the No. 2 Southeastern University women's basketball team throttled the St. Thomas University Bobcats 77-51, improving to 17-0 on the season and becoming the sole remaining unbeaten team in TSC play. The win was the Fire's 43
rd straight regular season win and 30
th consecutive contest won versus a Sun Conference opponent.
SEU soared past St. Thomas in the early goings of the contest due to a fast offensive start. The Fire opened the game with a 10-0 advantage.
"We felt good about the way we started tonight. We came out strong and really set the tone defensively. Offensively I am very happy with the way we moved the ball and kept finding the open man. It was truly a team effort tonight," shared Head Coach
Tim Hays.
A St. Thomas three pointer with 4:57 to go was the answer to the dominant SEU start. However, the Fire responded by closing out the first quarter on a 13-2 run to take a 23-5 lead.
The catalyst for Southeastern's rapid start was senior guard
Ana Richter, who had a career night. The Oxford, Ohio native totaled 12 points in the first quarter, shooting 6-7 from the field.
Richter was a perfect 3-3 from the field in the second quarter, as the Fire opened up the period on an 11-0 run. After trailing by as many as 29, the Bobcats were able to cut the deficit to 20, with SEU taking a 40-20 lead into the half.
The Fire's signature defensive pressure reigned supreme over the Bobcats in the first half. SEU forced six STU turnovers in each of the first two quarters, and held St. Thomas to 30.4 % (7-23) shooting from the field, including 10% (1-10) from behind the arc in the first half. The 21 turnovers forced by Southeastern marked the seventh consecutive game the Fire have forced 20 or more turnovers.
Richter continued her gem of the game in the second half. She turned in a perfect shooting performance, going 6-6 from the field, and dominated the glass with nine boards in the second half.
Richter's 31 total points, 15 field goals made, and 13 rebounds were all SEU career highs for her.
The Fire grew their lead to as many as 35 in the second half, while the Bobcats were unable to cut the deficit to any less than 19.
Southeastern was dominant within the interior on both sides of possession, out-rebounding St. Thomas 47-28 and outscoring the Bobcats in the paint 44-22. All 15 of Richter's made field goals came in the paint.
The Fire now set their sights on a home contest versus Florida Memorial on Saturday night. Tipoff in the Furnace is slated for 5:00 p.m.
