LAKELAND, Fla.—In their first game as the No. 20 team in NAIA Division II, the Southeastern men's basketball team went on the road to defeat RV Ave Maria 92-72. The Fire look to continue their hot streak in conference play with two conference foes coming to The Furnace this week. Up first for the Fire is Thomas University on Thursday, January 23rd at 7:30 pm, followed by a match-up against Coastal Georgia on Saturday, January 25th at 4 pm.
The Fire used a balanced attack to take down the Gyrenes in their 92-72 win, as six players totaled at least double digits in points. Highlighted by Blake Morrow's 22 points, Southeastern saw Jeremy Oppenheimer and Reggie Mesidor put up 13 and ten points, respectively. Riley Minix and Karl Jeanty added a double-double each, as Minix had 14 points and 12 rebounds while Jeanty totaled 11 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Isaiah Moody came off the bench and filled the stat sheet 16 points, four assists, three rebounds, and three steals.
Southeastern's fifth ranked defense in field-goal percentage proved to be too much for Ave Maria's potent 3-PT offense, holding them to just 31.6% shooting from beyond the arc. On offense, the Fire found success in the paint as they outscored the Gyrenes 58-22 around the basket.
Next for the Fire is a Thomas Night Hawk squad that ended its six-game losing streak in its last game when they beat the Warner Royals at home 82-67. Senior Kadeem Webb led the Night Hawks with a career-high 26 points. Webb will be a key player for the Fire to shutdown coming off a career performance in which he went 7-of-11 from 3-PT range. He also leads his team in steals per game with one. The Thomas Night Hawks will look to get to the free-throw line as they are ranked third in the NAIA in free-throw percentage, shooting 78.7%. The Fire and Night Hawks have played each other evenly since the 2013-14 season, as Southeastern is 8-6 in those matchups. In their most recent game, the Fire defeated Thomas 73-59 in Thomasville, Ga. Karl Jeanty led the Fire with a 16-point, 11 rebound double-double.
On Saturday, the Fire host the Coastal Georgia Mariners. The Mariners travel to Lakeland coming off back-to-back losses to Warner and Webber International. Coastal Georgia is led by senior guard Austin Dukes. Dukes enters play leading his team in PPG (16.5) and APG (3.0). The Fire will need to protect the ball, as the Mariners are ranked 29th in the NAIA in total steals with 155. Southeastern is 3-2 over the past five games against Coastal Georgia. Earlier this year, the Fire traveled to Brunswick, Ga. to take a 74-64 win from the Mariners. Senior Blake Morrow totaled 28 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the winning effort.
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