LAKELAND, Fla.—Southeastern has won seven of its eight Sun Conference men's basketball games and holds a two-game lead for first place in the league at the halfway point of its league schedule.
The second go-around begins on Wednesday at Ave Maria at 8 p.m. The Fire will also host a non-conference game Saturday night against Florida College at 7 p.m.
During their three games thus far in January, the Fire are averaging 85.7 points per game and have shot better than 50% from the field and have knocked down 38 of their 92 3-point attempts for a 41.3% average. Unselfish play has also resulted in an average of nearly 20 assists per game.
"It comes down to guys willing to make the extra pass and ultimately, ignore the stat sheet," said coach
Kevin Lubbers after Saturday's 89-57 win over Keiser. "One of our strengths is that we are really deep, but it's one of those things that can go both ways. The ball moves, and when it moves, we find open guys and when people are unselfish we find open shots."
Jordan Gorman has helped drive the 3-point shooting effort, having made a triple in 10-straight games. Against St. Thomas, Gorman was 5-of-12 from long range and was a career-best 8-of-12 registering a career-high 26 points. He's also averaging close to 3.5 assists per game this year.
Riley Matticks has registered an assist in all 15 games he's played in, dishing out a season-best seven helpers in a 78-57 win over Spring Arbor on December 22
nd.
Southeastern previously defeated Ave Maria 101-86 back on November 13
th to open Sun Conference play at The Furnace.
Riley Minix led the way with 28 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and two steals. Gorman was 7-of-8 from 3-point land for 21 points.
Ave Maria is in second place in the conference standings at 5-3 and boast the league's third-highest scoring offense at 78.6 points per game and are The Sun's best 3-point shooting team at 38.1% this year. Daryl Lewis is third in the conference in scoring at 16.5 points per game and Eric Kekas is sixth, averaging 15.4 points per game.
Florida College has played three games in The Furnace this year during classics SEU hosted during December and went 2-1 in those games. Like the Fire, Florida College lost to Olivet Nazarene during the Christmas Classic. That is half of their losses this year as the Falcons boast a 17-2 record and are receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Poll.
The Falcons are led by senior Matt Simpson, who is second in the NAIA in total points with 445 and averages 23.4 points per game, which is fifth nationally.
The Lakeland Magic Hype Team will be in attendance on Saturday along with Swish the team mascot. Thunder sticks will be given away to the first 100 fans.
For tickets, visit
southeastern.universitytickets.com.
