Fire Face Cross-County Rivals this Week

LAKELAND, Fla.- Looking to get back in the win column after dropping their last three countable contests, the Southeastern men's basketball team (3-5, 1-2 SUN) will compete in two Sun Conference contests this week with a home match against Webber International at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and a 4 p.m. contest on Saturday against Warner University on the road.
 
Through their last three contests, the Fire have averaged 66 points per game compared to their season average of 77 points per game, largely due to struggles at the free-throw line as they have shot just 56% from the line over the past three contests. Distance shooting has also been a challenge for the Fire as they have posted a three-point percentage of 28% over their losing streak.
 
Despite the tough stretch for the Fire, individuals such as Joshua Blazquez, Reggie Mesidor, and Sean Shore have posted strong numbers with Blazquez averaging 19 points over the last two contests and Mesidor leading the Fire in scoring with 48 points in three contests and 123 points overall. Shore currently sits as the Fire's second leading scorer and top rebounder, averaging a double-double with 11.5 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game. Jalen Mull has been the play maker for the Fire as he leads the squad in assists with 32.
 
The Warriors will come into the contest with a 3-1 overall record and 1-0 SUN record after defeating Warner 85-80 earlier in the season. Collectively, the Warriors average 78.3 points per game and have shot 45.5% from the field. A majority of the Warriors' offensive success has come from beyond the arc as they currently hold an impressive three-point percentage of 40.6% which ranks in the top 20 nationally while their free-throw percentage of 80.6% is good enough for a third-place national ranking. K'Shun Stokes sits as the team leader in points with 79 while Chinecherem Anakaenyi leads the defense with 21 rebounds.
 
Thursday's home contest will be the annual Silent Night game. During this tradition, fans are to remain silent until the Fire have scored their 10^th point.
 
The Royals (6-3, 1-2 SUN), are coming off a 1-1 trip to the NAIA Showcase in Kingsport, Tenn. where they dropped their first contest to Freed-Hardeman 92-61 and took the narrow 78-76 victory over Oakland City University. The Lake Wales team averages 77.7 points per contest with a .468 field goal percentage and a 9.1 scoring margin over their competitors. Three individuals sit at over 100 points with Logan West leading the charge with 131 (18.7 per game) while Blaize Darling and Joseph Martz also have tallied triple digits. Christian Nurse has been the top rebounder for the Royals with 61 total and an average of 6.8 per game.
 
To purchase tickets to Thursday's home contest, go to https://southeastern.universitytickets.com/w/default.aspx.