LAKE WALES, Fla.- The No. 18 Southeastern University Fire men's basketball team bowed out of the 2022 Sun Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Friday night, as the second-seeded Fire fell to the third-seeded Ave Maria University Gyrenes 84-64 in their semifinal game.
The Fire had to battle from behind for the entirety of the night, as the Gyrenes opened the contest on a 10-0 run.
SEU junior shooting guard
Reggie Mesidor provided the spark early for the Fire, scoring all of Southeastern's first seven points of the game. The Second Team All-Sun Conference selection ended up leading the Fire with 17 points and dished out three assists.
11 first-half Fire turnovers and SEU shooting 27.3% from three-point range through the first 20 minutes of play were pivotal in the Fire trailing the Gyrenes 36-23 in the half.
Southeastern continued to struggle from downtown in the second half, as the Fire made just one of their 13 attempts from behind the arc in the second half.
The Sun Conference Player of the Year
Riley Minix did score 10 of his 14 points in the second half and finished leading all players with 15 rebounds for his 21st double-double of the season. However, the closest the Fire came to tying the Gyrenes in the second half was a seven-point deficit which SEU reached three times.
Sun Conference Freshman of the Year
Joshua Blazquez finished the game with 11 points and four rebounds.
The Fire will host an NAIA National Championship Opening Round March 11-12 inside The Furnace.
