McKENZIE, Tenn.—In their season opener, the Southeastern University men's basketball team defeated Cumberland University by a score of 94-84 on the first day of the Chick-Fil-A Classic at Bethel University.
Senior transfer Blake Morrow impressed in his Fire debut scoring 39 points while shooting 11-16 from the field, going 5-9 from 3-PT range.
Morrow got off to a hot start, scoring 22 of his 39 in a tight first half by draining 4 of his 5 threes. Senior guard Jeremy Oppenheimer also contributed early for the Fire, netting 11 of his 18 total points in the first half. The Fire kept trading blows with the Phoenix, with neither team able to stretch their lead. Cumberland scored four quick points to end the half that gave them a 49-44 advantage heading into halftime, their largest lead of the afternoon.
As a team, Southeastern entered the half shooting 45.16% from the field and 38.46% from beyond the arc. The Fire dominated Cumberland in the paint in the first half, outscoring them 24-14 around the basket, and this would continue in the second half.
With Southeastern trailing 54-52 with 17:37 remaining in the game, the Fire went on a 6-1 run that was sparked by a Devon Ford and-one that came off an assist from junior transfer Karl Jeanty. Ford would finish with seven points and eight rebounds in the win. Moments later, Morrow sank three more free-throws to give Southeastern the lead for good at 58-55. The transfer finished perfect from the free-throw stripe shooting 12-12. Later with 1:01 remaining, a lay-up from junior Isaiah Moody put the Fire up 11 and sealed the win in the season opener.
Moody filled the stat sheet collecting eight points, eight rebounds, four assists, and a team high two steals.
In their collegiate debuts, freshmen Riley Minix and Reggie Mesidor contributed off the bench. Minix finished with seven points, hitting two 3-PT attempts, and also grabbed eight rebounds. Mesidor chipped in with six points. The two were key for the Fire outscoring Cumberland in points off the bench in the second half as Southeastern had a 16-5 advantage.
As a team, the Fire continued to dominate in the paint outscoring Cumberland 28-15 in that category. Southeastern shot 50% from the field in the second half and continued to live at the free-throw line where they went 26-34 on the afternoon.
The Fire are back in action tomorrow at 6 p.m. CT when they face host Bethel University.
