Fire Look to Revenge Last Season Matchup Against Warriors

Lakeland, Fla.- This week the Southeastern University women's basketball team will look to extend their undefeated conference record to 7-0 as they take on Sun Conference opponent Webber International University on Saturday, January 9^th at 2:00 p.m. in The Furnace.
 
The Fire have been hot so far this season with an overall record of 9-2 and a perfect 6-0 in conference play and outdo their opponents in every statistical category including points per game, field goal percentage, rebounds, and assists. After their most recent 75-55 win over the College of Coastal Georgia, the Fire now average 74.6 points per game thanks to their .440 field goal percentage while giving up only 55.5 points per game to their opponents. Haley Howarth leads the Fire with 149 points while Bekki Kalaydjiev has proven to be the play maker for the Fire recording a team high 38 assists. As a team, the Fire defense currently ranks number eight in the NAIA in total steals with 149.
 
While the Fire offense has proven to be superior to their opponents, defense has also been a strong contributor to the Fire's success thus far. Averaging 42.1 rebounds per game as a team  compared to their opponents lesser 35.2, senior Jade Odom leads the Fire defense with 69 total rebounds and averages nearly eight rebounds per game. Gabrielle Ozoude has also been a defensive power for the Fire with nine blocks in the paint and 63 rebounds in 180 minutes played.
 
The Webber Warriors come into Saturday's conference matchup with a matching 9-2 overall record with one loss in conference play giving them a Sun Conference record of 5-1. As a team the Warriors average 71.6 points per game with a .247 average from the field. The Warrior offense is led by Paris Copeland who has recorded 193 points through 11 games as well as Leandra Franklin who currently ranks number two in the NAIA in total steals with 46.
 
The Fire look to revenge their last matchup against the Warriors dating back to February 2020 when the Warriors defeated the Fire at home in overtime by a score of 91-83 to put an end to the Fire's 78 game winning streak against Sun Conference opponents and a 25 game win streak in the 2019-20 season. The Fire were unable to fend off the Warriors to hold onto their win streak after going without conference player of the year Taylah Simmons and defensive leader Marlena Schmidt in the overtime session as the duo fouled out within the last six minutes of regulation.
 
Despite the most recent defeat by the Warriors, the Fire still hold an overall winning record of 17-11 over the Warriors.