Cross-County Rivalries Ahead for Women's Basketball

LAKELAND, Fla.- After coming off a 1-1 weekend at the SEU Thanksgiving Classic, the No. 5 ranked Southeastern University women's basketball will look to extend their 3-0 Sun Conference record this week as they take on cross-county rivals in Webber International and Warner University. The matchup between the Fire and the Warriors will take place in Babson Park, Fla. on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and will be followed by a contest against the Royals at home on Saturday at 5 p.m.
 
In last week's SEU Thanksgiving Classic, the Fire were two baskets away from an undefeated 2-0 week against two NCAA DII institutions in Concordia University and Bemidji State University. Jamya Rogers had a season high night against the Beavers after dropping 20 points in 22 minutes after going 9-11 from the field. Tahanee Bennell ended the weekend with 31 points including a team high 16 points against the Bears of Concordia paired with seven steals.
 
The Warriors of Webber come into this week's contest with an undefeated record of 6-0 (2-0 SUN) and are coming off of their largest margin of victory thus far in a 101-56 victory over Florida National. Through six games, the Warriors have averaged 85.5 points per game and maintained a field goal percentage of 43.6%. With their hot start to the season, the Warriors rank top 10 in multiple categories such as points per game (9th), FG made per game (9th), three point percentage (6th), defensive rebounds per game (8th), and assists per game (4th). Guard Eletra Graham averages 16.5 points per game and has recorded 99 points through six games played. The last meeting between these two teams dates back to February of this year when the Fire took the 82-43 victory over the Warriors.
 
The Royals have had a slower start to their season as they currently hold a 1-4 record (0-2 SUN) and took a 74-62 loss to St. Thomas University in their last contest. As a team, the Royals average 68.6 points per contest and have struggled from the free throw line and the field after putting up a 61.7 free throw percentage and a 43.9 percentage from the field. Chanelle McDonald leads the Royals offense with 88 points (17.6 per game) and a 65.2 field goal percentage. The forward also has registered 7.4 rebounds per game. The Fire took down the Royals 92-57 in the last meeting and will look to advance their current win streak to 20 over the Royals.
 
The 7-1 Fire have been hot thus far and are coming off of a 81-76 victory over NCAA DII opponent, Bemidji State, in an exhibition. A majority of the veteran squad's success has come from beyond the three point arc as they rank No. 2 nationally in three point percentage (41.7%) and No. 4 nationally in three pointers made per game (11.1) with their field goal percentage of 48.6 also ranking them in the top 10. Senior transfer, Angela Perry, has proven herself vital to the Fire's success with a team leading 193 points through nine games for an average of 20.3 points per game and a 59.3 percentage from the field. Along with her offensive success, Perry also has recorded 73 rebounds, 53 of which have been on defense. Marta Aranda has been the Fire's top play maker after registering 30 assists thorough nine games.
 
To purchase tickets to Saturday's home game, go to https://southeastern.universitytickets.com/w/?cid=173.