LAKELAND, Fla. - The No. 21 ranked Southeastern men's basketball defeated Sun Conference opponent Johnson & Wales 71-51 this Saturday afternoon. With this win, Southeastern has now clinched a first round bye for the Sun Conference Tournament.
Both teams started off the afternoon slow as there were numerous turnovers and missed opportunities within the first minutes of play. Junior Karl Jeanty broke the scoreless streak as he put the Fire on the board, giving SEU the initial lead.
Midway through the half Johnson & Wales got ahead 13-9, thanks to Tristan Stephens who scored all 13 of JWU's points.
With 5:32 remaining, the Wildcats made two free-throws to regain the lead 20-19. However, Riley Minix quickly responded with a shot beyond the arc to recover a 22-20 lead over JWU.
With 4:35 to go in the first frame, Minix scored 13 points to help the Fire get in front before the half.
Heading into the intermission, Southeastern led 37-24 over the Wildcats. Minix led the team with 18 points and nine rebounds.
The Fire were shooting 40.6% from the field, and an impressive 53.8% from the three-point line. Southeastern ended the half with perfect free-throws, thanks to Jeanty and Minix.
Returning from the break, the Wildcats were able to cut the deficit to eight within the first four minutes of the second. However, SEU quickly answered with a five-point run, advancing their lead by 13-points.
Southeastern continued their momentum throughout the second half, sustaining a lead in double-digits.
Minix ended the day with 28 points and 21 rebounds, the most rebounds by a Sun Conference player in a game this season.
Coach Kevin Lubbers comments, "He's a talented player. It's fun to watch such a young player develop and grow. It's even more fun to watch him do it in the context of a team dynamic. Riley is extremely unselfish and he's not interested in credit, he just wants to be a winner, and part of a winning team, and he's doing everything he can to contribute to our overall success."
Following Minix in points was Jeanty with 18 and Jeremy Oppenheimer with 10. Oppenheimer and Reggie Mesidor aided the Fire's offense with six assists each.
Finishing the day, SEU were shooting 42.9% in the field and from beyond the arc.
Southeastern will be back in action for their senior night and last regular season home game on Saturday February 22nd against RV Ave Maria. Game is set to start at 7 p.m.
