BABSON PARK, Fla.—The 21st ranked Southeastern University men's basketball team shuts down Webber International's comeback attempt to win 87-81. Senior guard Jeremy Oppenheimer guided the Fire to victory with 20 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, recording his second double-double of the season.
The Warriors got out to a 12-11 lead within the first five minutes of play until the Fire turned up the heat and went on a 14-0 run to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Freshman Reggie Mesidor got things going for Southeastern with a 3-PT field goal, then Devon Ford joined in on the action with a layup assisted by Oppenheimer. A few possessions later, Oppenheimer capped off the run with back to back floaters in the paint.
The Fire carried this momentum through to halftime as they entered the break with a 48-31 lead. Freshman Riley Minix led all players through one half of play with 13 points. Devon Ford contributed off the bench with nine of his 11 total points coming in the first half.
Southeastern picked up right where they left off, scoring six unanswered points to open the second half. Karl Jeanty scored two quick buckets off of Mesidor assists in the opening minutes of the half. Jeanty would finish with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The Warriors wouldn't give in without a fight, however, as they clawed back from a 21-point deficit with 12:00 remaining to cut the Fire lead to just four. That is as close as Southeastern let them get as Oppenheimer drilled a three with 2:10 left in the game that extended the lead to seven points, which was too much for Webber to overcome.
Southeastern went 6-of-8 from the free-throw line in the closing moments of the game to seal the victory, 87-81.
Minix led the Fire with 21 points, but it was another balanced effort as five players reached double-digits in points.
Isaiah Moody came in off the bench and filled the stat sheet with 12 points, five assists, three steals, and two rebounds.
Southeastern (19-7, 12-3) looks forward to a showdown with No. 6 Keiser on Thursday, February 13th at 7:30 pm with major conference implications on the line.
