By: Mark McCollum
LAKELAND, Fla.—With a 3-0 record, the Southeastern University men's basketball team is set to open Sun Conference play this week with a home matchup against Coastal Georgia and a visit to Thomas University. The Fire host Coastal Georgia on Thursday, November 9
th at 7:30 pm before traveling to Thomasville, Georgia to face the Night Hawks.
SEU collected two wins a week ago, defeating the Brewton-Parker Barons 95-74 and the Southeastern Baptist Chargers 92-52.
In the win against Brewton-Parker the Fire were led by the sophomore duo of
Riley Minix and
Reggie Mesidor. They combined to score 58 points, grab 14 rebounds, and dish out six assists. Graduate center
Devon Ford tallied his first double-double of the season in the win with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Southeastern took advantage of the Charger's mistakes in the 40-point win, scoring 28 points off of 25 turnovers. The Fire shared the wealth in this one as they turned a season-high in bench points with 45. Seniors
Isaiah Moody and
Ralph Diaz, along with freshman
Deshaun Osborne led the effort off the bench with a combined 31 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, and five steals.
The Fire have used strong play on the defensive end of the court and hot shooting from beyond the arc to pace their 3-0 start to the season. They rank seventh in the NAIA in 3-PT FG made per game with 12.6 and are 13
th in 3-PT% with a 40.9% mark. On defense, Southeastern is ninth in the country in defensive FG percentage (35%) and tenth in scoring defense per game, allowing just 61.7 PPG.
After a 13-17 finish last season, Coastal Georgia enters play this week with a 1-1 record after their 85-63 win over Brewton-Parker. The Mariners face Brewton-Parker again before their trip to Lakeland. Guard Kenny Brown leads Coastal Georgia, averaging 23.5 PPG while shooting 42.9% from the field. The Mariners are ranked fifth in the NAIA in 3-PT field goals made per game with 13. Southeastern won both meetings last year and leads the all-time series 4-3. Last time out against the Mariners, Minix led the Fire with 27 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting 4-of-7 from 3-PT range.
For the Thomas Night Hawks, they'll host the Fire still searching for the first win of the season at 0-3. Thomas is led by junior guards Jordan Booker, Trint Bryant, and Shakari Williamson who are averaging 18.7, 18, and 15 points per game, respectively. The all-time series between the two programs is even at 13-13 with Southeastern taking both matchups a season ago. Moody provided a spark off the bench for the Fire in the most recent meeting with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
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