LAKELAND, Fla.— The Fire men's basketball team will look to continue their winning ways as they take a five-game win streak into two conference matchups this week. No. 8 Southeastern hosts St. Thomas on Thursday night before traveling to Miami Gardens for a contest with Florida Memorial on Saturday.
GAME INFO:
#8 Southeastern (14-3, 7-0 TSC) vs. St. Thomas University (6-9, 5-2 TSC)
Date: Thursday, January 10, 2019
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Lakeland, Fla. (The Furnace)
The Fire:
In their most recent games, SEU has been coming away with close wins thanks to offensive efficiency on the court. Southeastern, who boasts the 47
th-best scoring offense in the country, is 9-3 in games decided by fewer than ten points and has won each of the last four games by such a margin.
By knocking down nearly 50% of their shots and making 40.4% of attempts behind the arc (both of which rank 13
th in the nation), SEU has been able to gain an advantage over its opponents.
This effectiveness was especially evident in the team's last contest at Coastal Georgia, as the Fire drained 12 of their 15 three-point shots, tying a season-high for makes. Guards
Josiah Barsh and
Jeremy Oppenheimer each collected five triples in the game.
Barsh, the team's leading scorer (17.4 ppg), led the way against CCGA, going 9-12 from the field and a perfect 5-5 from three as he scored 28. The senior notched his first 20-point game in over a month thanks to a 26-point second half performance in the 87-82 comeback victory.
St. Thomas:
Despite already having more losses than a year ago, the Bobcats have collected wins in five of their seven TSC competitions thus far. Scrappy play has given STU extra possessions throughout the course of their early season. St. Thomas ranks 17
th in the NAIA in offensive rebounding (12.8 per game), while the Bobcats have grabbed at least ten offensive boards in all but one competition this year.
Junior guard Justin Brown is a main reason why the Bobcats have excelled in league play. The Miami native is averaging 22.6 points per game against Sun Conference teams, five more points per game than his season average. Brown has hit the 20-point mark in six of seven TSC games, including a 32-point effort in an overtime win versus Keiser.
GAME INFO:
#8 Southeastern (14-3, 7-0 TSC) at Florida Memorial University (2-13, 1-6 TSC)
Date: Saturday, January 12, 2019
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Miami Gardens, Fla.
Florida Memorial:
The Lions come into their matchup with the Fire on a six-game losing skid. FMU, who has dropped 12 of the last 13 contests, relies on spreading the ball around on offense for production. Five players on the roster are averaging double-digits in conference action, while junior forward William Phelps scores north of 15 per game.
Watch for Jordan Collins, who ranks 26
th in the country in three-point makes per game (3.0), to pull up from downtown. The freshman from Orlando leads Florida Memorial with 42 buckets from beyond the arc and shoots the deep ball with extreme efficiency (40.8%).
COVERAGE:
The game against St. Thomas will be broadcasted at seufire.com/watch, while the one at Florida Memorial will be streamed at portal.stretchinternet.com/fmulions. Be sure to follow @SEUFireMBB on Twitter for in-game updates.
