Women's Basketball Set to Host Sun Conference Semifinals

LAKELAND, Fla.- For the fifth consecutive season, the Southeastern University women's basketball team is set to host The Sun Conference Tournament Semifinals and Championship. The Fire enter the TSC final four as the top-seed, having gone 18-0 in conference play on the year. SEU takes on fourth-seeded Webber International on Friday and with a win, would face the winner of second-seeded Coastal Georgia and third-seeded Johnson & Wales the following day in the final.

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FIRE FOCUS:

• SEU leads the nation in scoring defense (51.75), scoring margin (37.786), rebound margin (11.7), FG % defense (.308), FG% offense (.504), is second in blocks (5.7) and assists per game (19.8), and is third in points per game (89.536).
• Junior forward Taylah Simmons leads NAIA DII in points per game (24.11) and ranks sixth in field goal percentage (.594). The Melbourne, Australia native is a five-time Sun Conference and two-time NAIA National Player of the Week this season.
• Senior center Marlena Schmidt is averaging a team-leading 8.5 rebounds per game and is The Sun Conference leader in blocks per game at 2.93.
• The Fire held an average margin of victory of 46.7 in Sun Conference regular season play this year.
• SEU has won 80-straight games versus Sun Conference opponents. The last time the Fire lost to a TSC team was February 10, 2016 against Thomas (70-64).

ALL-TIME SERIES:

• The Fire have won 10-straight versus Webber International, having not lost to the Warriors since 12/2/15.
• SEU has won all eight meetings in program history versus Coastal Georgia.
• Southeastern has won 21-consecutive contests versus Johnson & Wales, having not lost to the Wildcats since 12/19/2009.

THE WARRIORS:

• This marks the fifth TSC Tournament Semifinal appearance for Webber International under current head coach Grady Morrell and the first since the 2015-16 season. The Warriors lost to the Fire in the championship game that season.
• The Warriors enter Friday's game having won eight of their last 10 contests. WIU defeated Florida Memorial 74-70 in the quarterfinals in Babson Park this past Tuesday.
• Webber is second behind Southeastern in blocks per game, averaging 4.25 stuffed shots per contest. Nationally, WIU ranks 11^th in NAIA DII in blocks per game and 14^th in field goal percentage defense (.354).
• Sophomore forward Taniya Patrick is the player to watch for the Warriors, as she leads the team in points per game (12.4), rebounds per game (8), and blocks (78). Her average of 2.69 blocks per game ranks fourth nationally.

THE MARINERS:

• This marks the third-straight appearance for Coastal Georgia in The Sun Conference Tournament since joining the league in the 2017-18 season. The Mariners have made it to the semifinals all three of those years.
• The Mariners enter the semifinals having won nine-straight and 16 of their last 17 contests.
• Coastal Georgia is ranked 17th in NAIA Division II in field goal percentage defense (0.359), 23rd in three-point field goal percentage defense (0.281), and 26th in scoring defense per game (61.750).
• Junior guard Solrun Gisladottir has continued her reign as one of the most prolific three-point shooters in the conference, as she leads the league in three pointers made per game at 2.96 and ranks ninth at the national level in that category. Gisladottir is the leading scorer for the Mariners, averaging 11.86 points per game.

THE WILDCATS:

• This marks just the second appearance for Johnson & Wales in The Sun Conference Tournament since the field was shortened to six teams. JWU advanced to the semifinals in 2017-18.
• Johnson & Wales punched their ticket to this season's semifinal with a 73-61 win over Ave Maria in North Miami in the quarterfinals.
• The Wildcats generate a multitude of second-chance opportunities, ranking second in NAIA DII in offensive rebounds per game (19.8).
• Junior forward Tianna Ayulo has turned in another solid scoring campaign for JWU, averaging a team-leading 17.89 points per game. The Hollywood, Florida native has scored 15 or more points in seven-straight games.

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