Men’s Basketball Kicks off Season with Conference Foes

LAKELAND, Fla.—The No. 11 team in the country will begin its Sun Conference Championship defense with a pair of conference matchups. Southeastern will travel to Webber on Thursday before hosting No. 19 Warner on Saturday.
 
GAME INFO:
#11 Southeastern University (0-0) at Webber International University (3-1)
Date: Thursday, November 15, 2018
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Babson Park, Fla.
Game Coverage: Live Updates- @SEUFireMBB on Twitter, Live Stats/Video- https://portal.stretchinternet.com/webber/
 
The Fire:

• Following an exhibition contest with Florida Gulf Coast and a forfeit by Regent University, Southeastern will play its first countable games of the 18-19 campaign against conference opponents.
• The reigning conference champions went 21-10 last season, making just their second tournament appearance in program history. SEU won ten games in TSC play during the regular season, ending the year with seven wins in nine attempts against conference opponents.
• In the non-countable competition at FGCU, Dylan Causwell stood out with a team-high 16 points for the Fire. The junior from Sacramento, California shot a perfect 6-6 from the field, while also grabbing six rebounds.

 
The Warriors:

• Webber hosts Southeastern for the first conference game of the season.
• The Warriors have outscored opponents 169-114 in the first half of play so far this season and are producing at an outstanding rate from downtown. As a team, WIU ranks 25^th in the nation in threes per game (10.5), while four individuals on the roster are shooting over 40.0% from deep.
• Tommie Luke is the team's top scorer (16.5 points per game) and assister (4.75 helpers per contest). The sophomore has led the team in points in three of four competitions, while shooting above 50.0% from the field in two.

 
Previous Meetings:

• Southeastern leads the overall series 11-8, with SEU capturing three of the last four. Despite the Fire holding an advantage in the series, Webber has won five of the nine meetings in Babson Park.
• The Fire defeated Webber 93-82 when the teams last met in 2017.

 
GAME INFO:
#11 Southeastern University (0-0) vs #19 Warner University (3-1)
Date: Saturday, November 17, 2018
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Lakeland, Fla. (The Furnace)
Game Coverage: Live Updates- @SEUFireMBB on Twitter, Live Stats/Video- https://portal.stretchinternet.com/southeastern/
 
The Royals:

• Warner comes into The Furnace ranking 11^th in the NAIA in 3-pt efficiency (43.3%), 28^th in defensive rebounds per game (31.5) and 45^th in total rebounds per contest (41.5). All three totals are program highs for the Royals.
• WU's defense has been solid thus far, as Warner holds opponents to just 38.5% shooting (14^th in the country, while averaging 3.25 blocks per competition (33^rd nationally).
• The Royals are led by Trae Graham, who captains the squad in the categories of both points per game (19.5) and blocks (seven). Graham, a senior from Port Salerno, Fla., notched a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds as WU edged Florida National 87-82 in overtime.

 
Previous Meetings:

• Warner has been victorious in 15 of the 25 meetings between the two schools all-time, winning five of the past seven matchups; however, the Fire have claimed seven of 12 in The Furnace.
• Most recently, SEU overpowered WU in the Sun Conference Tournament quarterfinal by a score of 77-73.