LAKELAND, Fla.—Southeastern finished the SEU Classic with a 2-0 record after a 104-90 win over Saint Francis Saturday afternoon.
Mesidor scored 35 points in 38 minutes, connecting on five 3-pointers to help the Fire (7-5) lead start to finish.
It was the defense that spurred the offense out of the gate, getting a kill right from the get go and taking a 7-0 lead on a pair of
Anthony Duncan layups and a 3-pointer by Makkai Vassell. Mesidor's first 3-ball followed by another bucket by Duncan gave the Fire a double-digit lead less than three-and-a-half minutes into the game.
"The ball really popped and our guys were unselfish today," said coach
Randy Lee. "It was fun to watch them get after it and knock some key shots down."
Vassell finished with 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Duncan finished with eight points and six boards.
Montez Leath gave a big boost off the bench, scoring five straight points to give the Fire their biggest lead of the first at the 7:10 mark of the half at 38-26. He finished with eight points, six assists, and three steals.
Mesidor came alive in the second half with 23 points, going 9-of-15 from the field with three 3-pointers.
"He just let the game come to him and got into a flow," said Lee of Mesidor. "It was fun to see him operate and get downhill, knock down three's and be a playmaker for others as well."
The Cougars tried to keep pace and were able to get within four on a 3-pointer by Zane Burke at the 11:28 mark but the Fire answered with a Duncan layup and Mesidor 3-pointer on their next two possessions to stretch it back to nine. USF also got it down to five with 4:13 left on a Charlie Yoder 3-pointer but after a timeout, Mesidor answered with a 3-pointer of his own and the Cougars got no closer the rest of the night.
Joshua Blazquez added 26 points, also going 5-of-10 from 3-point range and added seven rebounds and five assists.
Sean Shore had a team best nine rebounds to match his nine points and was a force on the defensive end especially in the paint with three blocked shots.
"I think the guys have started to find themselves and understand we're great as a collective unit and that's what we need to be," said Lee. "We just want to build on that and they've had fun playing when the ball's been popping."
The Fire will be back on the floor on Wednesday at Florida National.
