Men's Basketball Set to Battle in Bounty of TSC Games this Week

LAKELAND, Fla.- The Southeastern University men's basketball team is looking to get back on track after a tough week of consecutive narrow defeats in Sun Conference play last week on the road. First, the Fire fell to the Warner University Royals 72-66 in Lake Wales last Thursday. This past Saturday, a respectable Fire comeback attempt came up just short, as SEU fell to the Ave Maria University Gyrenes 73-72. Southeastern will have ample opportunities to build momentum this week with three TSC contests on the slate.

GAMES:
Tuesday vs. Thomas University at 7:30 p.m. at The Furnace 
Thursday at St. Thomas University at 7:30 p.m. 
Saturday vs. Keiser University at 7 p.m. at The Furnace

COVERAGE:
TU/KU Live Video   TU/KU Live Stats   STU: Live Video   Live Stats

FIRE FOCUS:

• Southeastern has established itself as a respectable perimeter shooting team, ranking 16^th in the NAIA three-point shots made (159).
• Sophomore guard Reggie Mesidor ranks 10^th in the country in three-pointers made at 46, for an average of 2.7 per contest.
• Junior point guard Riley Matticks has emerged as a scoring threat for SEU in recent outings, averaging 13.4 points over his last five games. Matticks has also made a shot from behind the arc in 10-straight games and is shooting 51.3% (58-113) from three-point land on the season.
• Senior forward Alaowei Talent-Fitzgerald is averaging eight rebounds per game over his last four performances.

ALL-TIME SERIES:

• SEU holds the edge in the all-time series with Thomas 14-13. The Fire have won three-straight in the series, including an 89-69 win over the Night Hawks this season in Thomasville back on November 14. Mesidor had 15 points and went 3-5 from three in the victory.
• Southeastern has won five of the last six games versus St. Thomas. SEU defeated STU earlier this year in The Furnace 88-73.
• The Fire have won five of their last seven against the Seahawks. Southeastern looks to avenge a 72-70 loss to Keiser in West Palm Beach this season back on November 19.

THE NIGHT HAWKS:

• Thomas has hit a tough stretch in its season, having lost seven of its last eight games. However, six of those seven losses have come by single-digit deficits.
• The Night Hawks rank 16^th in the NAIA in total steals (131), with an average of 9.357 swipes per contest which ranks 23^rd nationally.
• Junior guard Jordan Booker is the leading man for TU, averaging a team-best 14.6 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.9 steals per game.
• Junior guard Trint Bryant is a perimeter threat for the Night Hawks, shooting 41.5% (17-41) from three-point range on the season, including 50% (4-8) over his last three outings.

THE BOBCATS:

• St. Thomas has only been able to compete in three contests since falling to Southeastern on December 9, going 2-1 during that stretch. Most recently. STU fell to Keiser 71-58 in West Palm Beach this past Saturday.
• The Bobcats are one of the stingiest teams in the country when it comes to defending the perimeter, ranking sixth in the NAIA in three-point defense (.265).
• Red-shirt junior guard Tyrik Waite had a team-leading 15 points and made three three-pointers in the loss to Keiser.
• Redshirt-senior guard Antoine Joe also converted a trio of three-pointers versus KU, totaling 10 points while coming off the bench.

THE SEAHAWKS:

• Keiser has won seven of its last eight in TSC play, with wins over Florida Memorial (77-73) and St. Thomas (71-58) last week.
• The Seahawks rank 26^th in the NAIA in team free-throw percentage (.748) and 28^th in three-point field goals made (133).
• Junior guard Corevon Lott leads the way for KU, averaging a team-leading 18.5 points per game and shooting 46.2% (43-93) from behind the arc this season. Lott has six games of 20 points or more this season.
• Senior forward Antwan Claxton is a versatile middle man for the Seahawks, averaging 13.3 points, six rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.