LAKELAND, Fla.- Southeastern men's basketball took on the 2022 Division II National Champions Nova Southeastern University in an exhibition tonight, falling 96-53.
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The Shark defense tested the Fire for the entirety of the contest, forcing 35 Fire turnovers which resulted in 50 points from the Sharks. The defense also held the Fire to a 16-39 (41%) effort from the field and 4-14 (28.6%) from three-point range.
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Southeastern took advantage of a slow start by the Sharks, leading 23-16 with 9:45 left to play in the first half but nine unanswered points by the Sharks tied the contest at 23. The Sharks would go on to shoot 46.3% from the field with 10 three-point shots in the first half to take a 45-29 lead into halftime.
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Cold shooting at the line for the Fire also contributed to their halftime deficit with a combined 12-23 effort at the free-throw line.
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The Fire offense went 8-19 from the field and 1-4 from three-point range in the second half while the Sharks went 19-43 from the field and 5-15 from beyond the arc to take the 96-53 win.
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Montez Leath led the Fire scoring with 14 points in just 18 minutes while
Makai Vassell recorded 10 points.
Sean Shore led the Fire rebounding with five.
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Southeastern will be back in action on Saturday at 2 p.m. as they host New College of Florida.
