LAKELAND, Fla.- The RV Southeastern University men's basketball team tipped off a busy remainder of the week in The Furnace with a solid 88-75 win over the Taylor University Trojans on Wednesday night to improve to 10-4 on the season. The Fire never trailed throughout the contest.
The Fire outscored the Trojans 14-2 to open up the game, holding Taylor to 1-10 shooting in the first 5:16 of play.
Taylor used a 12-2 run midway through the first half to cut the deficit to 29-27 with 5:44 remaining till the half. However, the Fire maintained separation from the Trojans, largely due to a spark off the bench from freshman guard
Reggie Mesidor. The Kissimmee native sank three three-point shots in the first half, scoring a team leading 10 points throughout the first 20 minutes of action.
The Fire shot 54.8% from the field in the first half while Taylor went 48.3%. SEU took a 43-38 lead into halftime.
Team discipline turned into being a key factor in the second half, as SEU was able to get to the free-throw line for 25 attempts in the second half off of 15 personal fouls committed by Taylor. The Fire converted 21 of those 25 attempts from the charity stripe.
Southeastern began executing unselfish play in the second half, as five different Fire players joined Mesidor in double-digit scoring during the final 20 minutes of play.
"It's really just a love thing," commented Mesidor. "My teammates are my brothers and we want to win together. When we move the ball and get to the paint, open shots are there and that's how we created our opportunities tonight."
Taylor was able to cut the Fire lead down to 64-61 with 9:17 to go in the game, however, that was close as the Trojans came, as SEU outscored TU 24-14 to close out the match-up.
Senior point guard
Jeremy Oppenheimer filled out a pro-style stat sheet, scoring a team-best 19, hauling in eight rebounds, and dishing out six assists.
Freshman forward
Riley Minix scored 15 off the bench in 22 minutes of play while also grabbing eight boards. Junior forward Karly Jeanty totaled 11 points and was just one rebound shy of a double-double.
Senior guard
Blake Morrow deposited all 11 of his points at the free-throw line. Senior center
Devon Ford was the fourth SEU starter in double-digits with 10 points.
"We were selfish offensively in the first half and it was hurting us on the defensive end," shared SEU head coach
Kevin Lubbers. "We just needed to be consistent defensively and share the ball on the offensive end. I thought our guys did a great job of regrouping and being poised to the finish."
The Fire return to action in The Furnace on Friday versus the William Jessup University Warriors. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
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