Men's Basketball Second Half Push Comes Up Short

BABSON PARK, Fla.- A slow first half for the Fire would prove to be too much to overcome after dropping their second contest of the season to the Webber International Warriors by a score of 79-75 to fall to 7-2 and 3-1 in Sun Conference play.
 
The Warriors came out strong in the first half and opened up the contest with an 8-0 run within the first two minutes of play. Mykhalio Yagodin got the Fire on the board in the fourth minute with a good basket from beyond the arc to aid the Fire in their smallest deficit of the first half. The remaining 15 minutes was all Warriors as they would go on to take a 20 point lead over the Fire with nine minutes remaining after a three pointer brought the score to 44-24. The Fire battled back to end the half down by ten with a score of 52-42. The Warriors went 10-16 from the beyond the arc in the first half while the Fire shot 48.3% from the field and 70% from the free throw line. Riley Minix went a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line coupled with two three pointers to end the half with 15 points while Regie Mesidor was nearly perfect from the field going 5-6 as well as two three point shots of his own to end the half with 13 points in 12 minutes.
 
Despite being down by as much as 20 in the first half, the Fire battled back in the second 20 minutes of play to bring the deficit to as little as three points. Five consecutive points by Joshua Blazquez brought the score to 76-72 with 46 seconds remaining. Nine seconds later Minix would net his fourth three pointer of the contest to bring game within three, the smallest deficit of the night, but the Fire comeback would come up short. The Fire went 11-12 from the free throw line in the second half but a 37% field goal percentage would hinder the Fire victory.
 
Minix ended the night with 25 points and eight rebounds while Mesidor rounded out the night with 16 in 29 minutes.
 
SUN play will resume in for the Fire as they take on the Warner Royals at home on Saturday at 7 p.m.