WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—The No. 1 Southeastern University women's basketball team clinched their fifth straight Sun Conference regular season title with their 97-42 win over the Keiser Seahawks. Junior
Taylah Simmons wasted no time getting warmed up, scoring 20 of her 31 total points in the first half.
Head Coach
Tim Hays commented on what it means to his team to win five straight conference titles, "It's an amazing accomplishment for our program, to say that we've set a Sun Conference record. That's taken a lot of work, a lot of girls throughout the years have contributed to that for it to build to this point. Extremely proud of the culture of our program and I'm proud of the girls that are here this year that continue to carry the torch."
Keiser got on the board first with a three, but it was all Fire from that point on. The Fire went on a 20-3 run that helped them take a 34-9 lead after the first quarter. Five different Southeastern players scored in the opening quarter en route to a 25-point advantage.
Coach Hays spoke about what led to his teams fast start, "We really improved in some areas defensively compared to the last time we saw them. We were very active and our pressure was very good, and we converted on long rebounds, tips, deflections. It was great execution from us, that's what we do, we get out and run in transition."
Southeastern took a 54-16 lead into halftime and shot the ball well, finishing the first half shooting 64.7% from the field, including 8-of-13 from 3-PT range, using 21 assists to convert baskets. Defensively, Southeastern totaled eight steals and a block, using their pressure to force 13 Seahawk turnovers.
The second half saw a similar story as the Fire rolled to a 97-42 victory. It was a very productive day for multiple players for the top ranked Southeastern squad. Simmons added ten rebounds and three steals to her 31 points. Sophomore guard Raegan Linster poured in 14 points on 4-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
Marlena Schmidt totaled 12 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks, while
Eliza West notched six points and dished out ten assists.
The bench contributed 26 points on the night, with
Jade Odom and
Haley Howarth leading the way with 12 and eight points, respectively.
The Fire (24-2, 16-0 TSC) return to action Saturday, February 15th at 2:00 pm when they host Johnson & Wales University.
